The proposed scheme, however, is likely to exclude rape convicts from the benefit of the scheme. Also, inmates serving life term for murder would only be entitled to the benefit of the scheme on completion of 14 years in prison, an official disclosed.
Plant a tree, reduce jail time. That's the Maharashtra government's mantra to not just green the environment but also help reduce overcrowding in its jails by remitting as much as 30 days in a year from a prisoner's sentence.
The unique initiative, which kills the proverbial two birds with one stone, is a brainchild of the state's home ministry. The scheme, limited to jails that have the space to plant trees, will offer remission in proportion to the number of trees inmates plant and maintain during their jail term. Mumbai's Arthur Road and Byculla jails have been excluded because they don't have the space.
Giving details, an official said each inmate would be given two plants to sow and maintain to earn a minimum of 10 days of remission. The remission eventually would be calculated considering the total number of the plants an inmate has sowed and on how he/she has maintained them. The maximum limit of the remission, however, cannot exceed 30 days in a year.
The proposed scheme, however, is likely to exclude rape convicts from the benefit of the scheme. Also, inmates serving life term for murder would only be entitled to the benefit of the scheme on completion of 14 years in prison, an official disclosed.
"The main purpose of the scheme is to contribute to the environment. Moreover, gardening is a stress buster and should help bring down stress levels among the prisoners. The hope of remission on the other hand will encourage them to do the task," Dr Vijay Satbir Singh, principal secretary, home department, told dna.
However, sources claim the move is aimed at shortening stay of inmates who have maintained discipline and improved their behaviour over time. "The Maharashtra prison manual has the most strict rules for remission in the country. This has led to overcrowding in jails," said a senior jail official, adding that the department had long been contemplating ways of making remission easier.
With an approximate 30,000 prisoners in 53 Maharashtra jails, the government is aiming at adding 1,00,000 new trees across the state every year through the proposed scheme. The extent of overcrowding is around 3,000 prisoners.
As per government norms, each of Maharashtra's nine central prisons has been constructed in an area of 75-100 acres.
The state's 31 district prisons are spread over 40-50 acres of land. Besides, there are 13 open prisons on huge plots that are already being used for cultivation purposes. The details of how much of this land would be used for planting trees have not yet been specified.
Other moves
In April this year, the home department initiated the process of hiring a consultant for overall modernisation and upgradation of prisons. In the same month, the department also signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to help more prisoners get medical and legal aid.
Aiming to enhance security and surveillance of prisons, the department is also working in close collaboration with Israel based companies. Senior officials of Israel government and private companies have already visited Nagpur and the Arthur Road prison for a recce. The work would focus primarily on three fronts – installing jammers that are equipped with 'selective jamming', patrolling and fencing, and installation of either chips or bracelets for tracking inmates.
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