The Punjab government has allocated amount of Rs 500 million in the ADP 2005-06 to bring improvement in justice delivery services in the province. The amount would be utilised for an effective, expeditious, inexpensive and quality justice system, said the budget document.
The government reform effort in the sector has not only impacted in the area of infrastructural improvement but has also shown improvement in process reform, the document added.
Notable actions include enactment of the Consumers Protection Act, 2005, establishment of police and public oversight bodies, grant of special allowance to judicial officers, introduction of highway patrol posts and pay packages, construction of jails and court rooms.
According to budget document, the government's reform effort in the justice sector is spearheaded by the Access to Justice Programme, whereby with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank the government has chalked out a comprehensive agenda, including infrastructure development, and legal and institutional reforms.
However, the government reform commitment extends beyond the mandate of the Access to Justice Programme. This commitment has been reflected in increased levels of development and non-development expenditure on a number of Justice Sector Agencies.
The Programme is supported by a $350 million loan from the Asian Development Bank, including a technical assistance loan of $20 million for the process reform and capacity building.
The rest is the budgetary support loan, which will be distributed among the provinces on the basis of NEC formula. The share of the government has been calculated as $103 million (PKR 6180 million).
The Punjab government has released an amount of Rs 2174.938 million against the Federal government release of Rs 1032.400 million, which underscores the commitment of the government to the programme and, its objectives.
The Access to Justice Programme is a multifaceted programme aimed at instituting complementary reforms in judiciary, jail and police in the areas of physical infrastructure, equipment, operation and maintenance, capacity-building and planning, the document explained.
The programme seeks to achieve the objectives by providing a legal basis for judicial policy and administrative reforms, improving the efficiency, timeliness, and effectiveness of judicial and police services, supporting greater equity and accessibility in justice services for the vulnerable poor, improving predictability and consistency between fiscal and human resource allocation.
The document further revealed that an independent Police Complaint Authority is being established to address the complaints of the citizens against the police and make it more accountable and people-friendly.
Over crowding in jails is being addressed through establishment of new jails/branched at Tobatek Singh, Vehari, Layyah, Bhakkar, Pakpattan and Okara.
Additional barracks for the jail inmates are being established in 25 other jails.
Diet scale for the prisoners has been enhanced from Rs 15 per prisoner per day to Rs 20/- per prisoner per day in 16 jails of the Punjab at a cost of Rs 8.8 million.
Special high security barracks are being built in 4 jails of Punjab, while a purpose-built high security prisons will be built in the Punjab metropolis.