Tihar prison chief preparing 'blueprint' to plug loopholes

Under attack for security lapses following alleged suicide of the prime accused in December 16 gangrape case, Tihar Director General Vimla Mehra is preparing a "blueprint" to improve overall functioning of the prison including to plug loopholes in its surveillance system.
Mehra today met Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and apprised her about the steps being taken to improve functioning of various wings of the prison.
"Mehra told the Chief Minister that she was working on a blueprint to streamline the internal functioning and plug the loopholes in the existing system," sources said. Mehra said the plan will be ready within next two weeks.

Delhi gangrape accused Ram Singh was found hanging in his cell on March 11 while a 30-year-old woman inmate had allegedly committed suicide in the jail on March 14. The jail authority had come in for sharp criticism following the two alleged suicides.
The Chief Minister welcomed the efforts of the jail to improve its functioning and asked Mehra to ensure that no such incidents recur.
The sources said the Tihar Director General indicated to Dikshit that a raft of measures including bringing in more technology as well as introducing modern surveillance system would be part of her recommendation.

"We are looking at a major systemic change in functioning of the jail," the sources quoted Mehra as saying in the meeting which was also attended by Chief Secretary D M Spolia and Home Secretary Arvind Rai.

Tihar comes under Delhi Government's Home department which is with Dikshit.
The BJP last week had trained its guns on Dikshit on the issue and asked her to focus on improving security in the prison.
The prison currently houses around 12,500 inmates against its capacity of around 6,250.
The sources said the issue of Tihar recommending shifting of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay and 53 other convicts in the teachers' job scam and Vishal and Vikash Yadav, serving life term in the Nitish Katara murder case, from Tihar Jail to prison in their home state also figured in the meeting.

They said Mehra informed Dikshit that it was a routine practice and the jail has been making such recommendation regularly to decongest the jail.
Home Department of Delhi Government has written a letter to Home Secretary of Haryana seeking transfer of 55 convicts in the teachers' recruitment scam to a jail in their state. A similar letter was written to Home Secretary of UP for transfer of Vishal and Vikash Yadav.
The Delhi government made the requests to the two states on recommendation of the Tihar Jail authorities.