Lalit Mohan, Almora : Uttarakhand Governor, Smt Margaret Alva today inspected Almora and Haldwani jails as part of her programme to visit all jails in the state. The historic Almora jail in which Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and many other great freedom fighters were housed during the freedom struggle,was set up in 187. Seeing its historic importance, the governor stressed the need to conserve it as a national heritage and instructed officials regarding this.
She also said that an open jail for women prisoners be made and the inmates be linked to self-employment by being taught vocational courses. The governor spoke to the prisoners and found out how they were faring. She said she would talk to the chief justice of the high court regarding fast tracks for clearing the cases of the prisoners quickly. She gave directions to create a jail visiting committee and to prepare a jail manual. She said that fifty per cent of the committee’s members should be women. Also, officials, politicians and district magistrate must be on the committee.
While visiting the Haldwani jail, she said that elderly prisoners and those who were weak or those whose terms had been completed should be released. She said that vocational training should be given to young prisoners to ensure employment for them in the future. The governor said the Haldwani jail was overcrowded and some of the inmates should be shifted to other prisons. Principal Secretary to the governor, Shri Ashok, Principal Secretary (Home) Shri Utpal Kumar Singh, ADC Barinderjit Singh and other officials were with the governor during her visits to the jails.