Aizawl: Undertrials of Aizawl central jail were being taken to court in taxis and other hired vehicles as the jail’s only prison van has worn out for quite some time now and there are no immediate alternatives at hand.
‘We have been using taxis or other hired vehicles to take the inmates to the court as the jail’s only prison van has become very old and unreliable. It needs overhauling every time we use it and we cannot afford it to happen on the way,’ jail sources said.
The prison van’s registration comes under MZ-01. That more than 1000 vehicles have been registered under MZ-01 (H) which is very old.
The jail authorities spend a lot of money for transporting the inmates to the court in the heart of the city, which is about 12 kilometres from the central jail.
The central jail currently houses 612 prisoners, including 68 women and 19 men life convicts.
About 65 per cent of the prisoners are being trialed under the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act and Assam Drugs Control Act. (UNI)