PANAJI

The National Commission for Women (NCW), which visited the Goa Central Jail in Colvale on Wednesday, said it had found that the female inmates do not have sufficient access to legal aid.

“There is a need for more efficient empanelled lawyers. Also, there are low hanging fans in the cells which were potential safety hazards,” said the Commission.

Currently, there were 21 women inmates at Colvale jail, eight convicted and 13 facing trial, in the women’s wing of the prison.

The inspection was a part of the NCW’s ongoing project to visit all jails in the country with women inmates in order to formulate a manual for comprehensive prison reforms.

NCW has conducted inspections of Central Prisons in Ambala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ranchi, Nellore, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Delhi, Kolkata and Mizoram and sent its recommendations to the Women and Child Development Ministry.