Ration supplies stopped in six Balochistan jails

By Malik Siraj Akbar

QUETTA: Annoyed public contractors stopped on Saturday supplying ration to six different jails of Balochistan over nonpayment of outstanding dues by the provincial government.

According to the details, contractors responsible to provide edible items to different jails of Balochistan suspended all forms of food supplies after going on a strike on Saturday due to noncompliance with their repeated demands by the authorities to pay the outstanding dues of two years. The six jails where the supply of food has been cut include the jails in Mach, Quetta, Gadani, Turbat, Khuzdar, Dera Murad Jamali and Mastung.

The contractors say they have been asking the provincial government to pay the outstanding dues but their demand has been given a deaf ear. They had to resort to cutting the supply to all prisoners as a last resort so that pressure was excreted on the government to immediately comply with their demands.

According to one contractor, the government has not paid Rs. 5.5 million only for the Central Jail of Mach where around 1100 pensioners are detained. The contractors regularly provide milk, bread and other edible goods to these jails. Likewise, the contractors from other districts have been complaining about nonpayment despite repeated requests and reminders to the Balochistan government.

“We do not have the resources to keep supplying food to the jails free of cost,” said one contractor, “if our demands are not met immediately, we will be compelled to take a more hardliner approach.”

He said the inspector general prisons had already been notified in written that thousands of inmates would suffer in case the contractors went on a strike over nonpayment.

Food suppliers say the government has not paid them since 2007.

Balochistan’s Inspector Jails Qambar Dashti told the Baloch Hal that the government was acquainted with the complaints of the suppliers and payment of all outstanding dues would be made soon. Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has also been informed about the matter and the government would resolve the matter instantly.

According to Gichki, “unavoidable circumstances”, such as the arrest of hundreds of Afghan or other foreign nationals when they try to cross the borders of neighboring countries, cause unexpected and huge burden on the jails of Balochistan. The imprisonment of foreigners in large numbers often upsets the previously calculated budget allocated for different jails of Balochistan.

“We acknowledge that the government is required to pay the outstanding dues of the contractors who are supplying food to the prisoners. However, we expect them to cooperate wit the government as the process of payment might take sometime due to bureaucratic process through which the whole matter needs to be settled,” he said.

Ends/malik