Change of guard at State jails, yet again

Govt scraps pact with security firm as it fails to meet the contract terms

The Home Guards will be in charge of providing security till a new agency is appointed, Minister for Prisons Umesh V Katti told presspersons here on Wednesday.

Terrier, the agency with which the government entered into pact, has failed to meet the conditions of the contract which required it to post 400 personnel at eight prisons across the State from August 1. The agency has appointed only 216 to date, Katti said.

The minister said the agency has also not met certain conditions in the agreement. “One of the condition was that the security personnel should be educated men and physically fit for the job. However, the personnel appointed by the agency are quite aged and cannot be entrusted with the job of guarding prisons,” he said.

The minister said the decision to scrap the contract had been taken following the recommendation by the State Police. Tenders will be floated afresh to entrust the job to another firm.

Prisoners’ release

Katti said he would approach the President with a request to release 593 prisoners for good conduct if the Governor turned down the request of government once again.

The Governor rejected the proposal seeking more details on convicts such as police report and the judgement copies. The details have been obtained from three districts and the rest are awaited. “We have already verified convicts’ conduct and despite this the Governor has sought more details,” he said.

Katti crosses swords with ex-judge

Minister Umesh Katti has challenged retired High Court judge Justice M F Saldanha to prove his charges of bribery in the govt’s move to release 593 convicts. Justice Saldanha had alleged that between Rs five lakh and Rs one crore was received from each convict from various prisons.

The minister said he is ready for any probe. He also alleged that the judge’s remarks were a fallout of the skirmish between the Horticulture Department and the Judge over cleaning a pond in the Cubbon Park. He said: “He (Justice Saldanha) was rearing poultry and ducks in one of the ponds in Cubbon Park. He had earlier released fish in the pond, which have now multiplied and struggling to survive. When we tried to clean the pond, he objected to it saying he had an oral agreement with former chief minister S M Krishna to maintain the pond,” he said. He said despite objection by Saldanha, the  Horticulture Department cleaned and desilted the pond.