Taking serious cognizance of severe sanitary and drainage issues at the Central Jail Colvale, the Goa Human Rights Commission has directed the Public Works Department, through the Sewerage & Infrastructural Development Corporation of Goa Ltd., to depute an emergency maintenance team immediately to clear overflowing sewage chambers, mandating weekly follow-ups until pending tenders are finalized.
The interim order was passed by a GHRC during proceedings on a complaint filed by a member of the prison’s Board of Visitors.
According to an official reply submitted to the Commission by Superintendent of Prisons Sucheta Dessai, the Central Jail has struggled with persistent sewage crises since 2021. Although a Sewage Treatment Plant exists on the premises, the small diameter of the drainage pipes causes frequent blockages from debris, cloth, and bottles discarded by inmates, resulting in foul overflow from inspection chambers before wastewater ever reaches the treatment facility.
The submissions revealed that the jail administration had been forced to spend between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 monthly on commercial soil suction tankers (at Rs 4,300 per trip) merely to provide stopgap relief, leaving the underlying infrastructure defects unresolved.
The prison administration outlined a series of unaddressed communications sent to PWD authorities spanning more than a year.
Taking note of the continuing risks to inmate hygiene and public health, the Commission recommended the PWD/SIDCGL to deploy a dedicated maintenance unit immediately to clear overflowing chambers, ordering regular weekly clearance until a long-term tender solution is formally in place.
The matter has been adjourned to September 30, 2026, for further status reports.
