Drinking water, power shortage hit Jumla jailbirds

JUMLA, SEPTEMBER 30

The National Human Rights Commission has monitored the status of human rights of jailbirds at a time of coronavirus pandemic in Jumla.

A team headed by NHRC member Sudeep Pathak had monitored the human rights situation of inmates in Jumla yesterday.

The monitoring team had arrived in Jumla after taking stock of the human rights status of jailbirds in 12 districts of the country.

The human rights watchdog body’s team also held interaction with security agencies, journalists and human rights defenders in the district.

On the occasion, NHRC commissioner Pathak highlighted the importance of human rights protection along with efforts to prevent and control the pandemic.

He further said that the NHRC monitoring team had arrived in Jumla to take stock of the impacts of COVID-19 in the human rights sector, situation of jailbirds and detainees and violent activities taking place in the jail of late.

He said that the team would present its report covering the problems faced by citizens in this time of crisis to the government.

Among the key problems shared with the monitoring team were the road condition, electricity supply, Karnali road and human resource in health facilities.

Though nine inmates of the district prison had contracted the virus, they had recovered, the team told. The jailbirds are facing the acute shortage of drinking water and electricity. “The inmates here are always vulnerable to various diseases as they are still compelled to drink contaminated water supplied from the Tila River,” said Khadkajeet Rokaya, a jailbird.

Though the doctors had also diagnosed water-borne diseases among jailbirds, the authority concerned has been turning a deaf ear to the critical issue.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 1 2020, of The Himalayan Times.