Bhubaneswar: It was a joyous moment for inmates of Jharpada special jail in Bhubaneswar as the prisoner-family mulaqat (meeting) facility was restored after 10 months on Monday.
The meeting area was decked with flowers as several family members came to visit the prisoners on the first day physical mulaqat was restored.
Notably, the state government had suspended physical meetings between prisoners and their families in Odisha jails after the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
In April 2020, the government had introduced e-mulaqat system, but the digital facility had run into technical glitches including bad internet connectivity.
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Later, the family members of the inmates used to make video calls to designated phone numbers. These videos were then shared with the prisoners by the jail authorities.
But with the improvement in the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination drive, the state government has given the go ahead to resume physical meetings between prisoners and their families.
“Last month, we had requested the Home Department to allow us restore the physical mulaqat system. The government has given its approval. This will give a huge psychological relief to the prisoners. Meeting their near and dear ones physically after so many months will make them happy,” DGP (Prisons) Santosh Upadhyay was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Upadhyay also informed that the jail superintendents have been ordered to strictly follow the government’s COVID-19 guidelines while conducting the prisoner-family meetings.
Also, adequate numbers of hand sanitizers and masks have been supplied to all jails, he added.
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