Africa-Press – Liberia. Renowned Indian Business Tycoon Dr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva has provided running water and a 5.5KVA generator to help dignify inmates and convicts at the Monrovia Central Prison (MCP).
Dr. Sachdeva is commonly known as “Jeety” in Liberia. He is the former Indian Honorary Consul General to Liberia and the owner of various businesses operating in the country.
His gesture comes following a request and subsequent promise made by the prison authorities and him during one of his regular hot meal feeding initiatives which was launched at the prison facility several months ago.
Prior to the donation, inmates were standing in long queues and catching hell to have access to water for drinking, washing and other purposes. The generator was presented to help ensure the provision of the water in the wake of unstable electricity being provided by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to the prison facility.
In a communication dated December 8, and addressed to Dr. Sachdeva, under the signature of the Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison, Varney G. Lake, the MCP authorities pointed out that the initiatives have placed smiles on the faces of the inmates.
The communication disclosed that the gesture comes following numerous challenges and constraints which were catalogued to Dr. Sachdeva during one of his humanitarian visits at the prison compound.
It added that following the appeal, “Jeety” promised to ensure that all of the housing units at the prison facility have access to running water. The prison authorities recalled that in fulfillment of his promise, “Jeety” led a team of engineers at the prison compound along with some of his staffs to do an assessment at the facility. Following the assessment, technical works later commenced for the actualization of the initiative.
“We were blessed also when you included in the project the installation of two (2) 500 liters poly tanks for water storage along with a 5.5KVA generator for the supply of water whenever there is a power outage from the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC). It is in this regard that the leadership of the Monrovia Central Prison in consonant with the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation do fervently write to recognize, appreciate and say a big thank you for putting smiles on the faces of the inmate population and the entire workforce at the prison”, the communication notes.
It adds: “As we speak, water now runs in all of the housing units, the clinic, bakery and other sites that needed water”. In a brief chat with Reporters at his office on the Bushrod Island, outside Monrovia, “Jeety” pointed out the gesture was actualized because, “water is life”.
He observed that inmates and convicts are most often seen trekking, during his regular humanitarian visits, to fetch water from hand pumps, inside the prison compound.
“Whatever I do, I do for God. I don’t like to attach money to it. Whatever I do for the Liberian people or human beings is not to show that I have, but because I need to share with my Liberian brothers and sisters. This particular gesture was fulfilled because water is life”.
“Whenever I go to the prison compound, I will see the prisoners lining to fetch water from hand pumps”.
Dr. Sachdeva indicated that inmates or convicts are being reprimanded for acts they committed and as such, they do not need to go into additional punishments or sufferings to fetch water for drinking and other purposes. He, however, expressed the hope to expand the initiative to other prison facilities across the country based on God’s blessings.
He further pledged to make additional interventions to ensure that prisoners being reprimanded for their actions committed are not treated as outcasts, but they can be rehabilitated and have access to other facilities as compare to inmates at other prison facilities across the African continent and the world at large
“When God bless me in 2022, I will be able to bless everybody. I leave it to God to guide me and give me more strength and energy”.
Speaking in an interview with FrontPage Africa via telephone, one of the inmates, who preferred not to be named, disclosed that the donation made by the top Indian businessman is a “Christmas gift from God”.
He disclosed that though other foreign nationals are doing businesses and profiteering hugely in Liberia, they have not muster the courage to “think about people that are in jail”. He recalled that for sometimes now, “Mr. Jeety himself has been bringing food here with juices and cake for us”.
“Mr. Jeety himself will be here and he will serve us with food. I have never seen any white man or woman coming in this prison compound to dish the rice and carry the food from door to door. But Jeety has done that. We don’t have anything to pay him with; but God will pay him for us. And so, we just want to tell him thanks for what he is doing for us and he should continue to do more”.
The inmate used this medium to urge prison authorities to forge a partnership with “Jeety” for the provision of vocational skills training to help rehabilitate inmates and convicts.
He observed that inmates and convicts will become productive citizens if they acquired the requisite skills to enable them experience “a second life and put food on the table for their families”.
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