Taloja Jail staffers are living in fear of being electrocuted or coming under a falling slab of their quarters, especially in monsoon. They say they have complained to the Public Works Department (PWD) about the quarters for years, but to no avail.
Taloja Jail started operating in 2008, and the administration received possession of the quarters the same year. “But the construction had started in around 1995. The staff has been carrying out repairs in the individual capacity as we have not received any response from the PWD,” Taloja Jail Superintendent Sadanand Gaikwad said.
Sixteen two- and three-storey buildings house 80 families of constables. One building housing jailers is also dilapidated.
A constable attached to the jail said, “The roofs are continuously leaking. The slabs are at the risk of crashing, wires are exposed everywhere, and there is constant discharge of electricity from sockets. Even when we are at work, we fear for our families’ lives every day.”
The 59-acre premises include the jail, the quarters behind it, and some open space. “We are required to stay in the quarters so that we are easily available. In 10 years, the administration has not made arrangements to even paint the quarters,” the constable said.
PWD Deputy Engineer, Panvel, Madhusudab Neware said the department has its own constraints. “In 10 years, we have not received any funds from the Home Department for the quarters. Even then, we have taken up the work to maintain the bathrooms and toilets. If the funds are sanctioned after the monsoon, we will take up work on the buildings too.”