Bhubaneswar: A total of 44 prisoners escaped from different jails in Odisha in the last 5 years, Chief minister Mohan Majhi informed the state Assembly during the second phase of the Budget Session on Monday.
In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, Majhi said that 33 among the escapees were under-trial prisoners (UTPs) and 11 were convicts. While 27 were recapture, 17 remain at large.
The chief minister also mentioned the case-wise details of disciplinary or legal action taken against the jail officials and security personnel found responsible for such lapses.
Separately, responding to another query, Majhi outlined the current status of the state’s prison infrastructure. Odisha operates 86 jails with a combined capacity of 24,189 inmates. At present, 18,176 prisoners, including 14,040 (UTPs) and 4,136 convicts, are staying in the jails, he added.
