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Now, Thane, Taloja prisoners can call family from jail

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The scheme in force on trial basis at Taloja (above) and Thane jails
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Convicts lodged in Thane and Taloja prisons can now make a phone call to their family members once a week. The facility has been started for these convicts on a trial basis for three months, after which the prison department will study its feasibility and, if found satisfactory, extend it to all prisons across the state.

The state government on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that the project is being conducted in the two prisons and plans of starting it on a trial basis at Yerwada prison is under consideration. Such a scheme is already available to convicts lodged in central prisons in Delhi and Kolkata. Accordingly, a year ago, the state had proposed starting the facility in its prisons.

Under the project, the convict can only make a five-minute call once a week to any of his family members, which include parents, spouse, sibling or children. The payment for the call will be deducted from the wages he earns while working inside the prison. The scheme, however, is not applicable to certain categories of convicts — terrorist, member of organised crime syndicates, repeat offender and naxalite.

A division bench of justices NH Patil and Anuja Prabhudessai was informed about the scheme by additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamath-Pai while hearing two petitions filed by convicts from Nashik and Arthur Road prisons seeking outgoing telephone facility inside the prisons. The court was also informed that once the trial period is over a review of the scheme will be done and, accordingly, proposal will be put up before the finance department for formal sanction of dedicated telephone lines.

Under the project, a convict has to book a telephone call in advance. Prison officials take thumb impression and two contact numbers of family members of a convict on admission. So when a convict desires to make a call, he will have to give his thumb impression through which computer records will show the contact numbers. A prison official, who will monitor the project, will make the call and verify the identity of the person on the other side and then hand over the phone to the convict.

The bench, while accepting the state's report, said, "Hope proper use of the project is done..." The court has adjourned the hearing on the petition to August.

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