Taloja Prison Inmates To Get Clean Drinking Water After Bombay High Court's Intervention

Maharashtra Government on Friday informed the Bombay Hight Court that 20 water tanks of 5,000 litres capacity each have been installed in Taloja Central Prison and installation of 5 RO water purifier plants for drinking water will commence on September 1, 2023.

A division bench of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Gauri Godse thus disposed of a petition filed by an inmate seeking adequate water facility in the jail. The petition alleged that inmates are provided 1-1.5 buckets of 'unclean' water a day for drinking, washing, bathing etc.

After APP Prajakta Shinde informed the bench of installation of water tanks and RO plants, Justice Dere remarked, “See! If you (the government) want to do it, you can do it.”

Earlier, the State had informed the court that the RO plants will be of minimum 200 litres capacity.

One of the largest prisons in India, Taloja Central Prison has a capacity of 2,124 inmates.

The petition was filed by Abhay Kurundkar, a former cop, and an accused in the murder of another police officer, with whom he was allegedly having an affair.

Kurundkar, an inmate of Taloja Prison, sought adequate water for the inmates of the jail claiming the water supply from the local planning authority – City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) was grossly inadequate.

As per a report submitted by the Home Department and the Superintendent of Prison before the High Court on a previous date, at least 3 lakh litres of water was required to meet the demand.

The court had directed the District Legal Services Authority to visit the prison and submit a report along with recommendations. According to the report, prison inmates said they received 1 to 1.5 buckets of water a day for drinking, bathing, washing utensils and everything else.

As far as cleanliness was concerned, the plastic Syntax Tank used to store water was found to be clean but not the water in it, according to the report.

The DLSA's report further said that water in the buckets was not clean as it had sediments and dust. Moreover, there was no separate provision for cleaning the water.

Due to the poor condition of the roof, rain water harvesting wasn't possible. The roof was found to be leaking and covered with plastic sheets. The well walls also required strengthening, the court had earlier observed.

Two wells within the prison compound were 95% and 90% dry respectively. The court was informed on Friday that the wells have been repaired and are full. They are used for day-to-day requirements, but not drinking water, Shinde said.

Observing that with the installation of water tanks and RO plants, nothing survives in the petition, the court disposed it off and kept it on September 11 for recording compliance.