The Maharashtra prisons department is planning to launch a garage and washing centre, which will be manned by convicts lodged at the open jail, located around 250km from Mumbai.
People traveling to Ahmednagar may soon be able to get their vehicles washed and serviced at the Visapur open jail. The Maharashtra prisons department is planning to launch a garage and washing centre, which will be manned by convicts lodged at the open jail, located around 250km from Mumbai.
"The washing centre will provide gainful employment to around eight inmates and income to the state government. Since the jail is located on the main road, we expect vehicles to come in for such services," said DG Gawade, superintendent of the Visapur open jail.
He added that they also plan to train and deploy prisoners in the garage and greasing unit, which will be started along with the washing centre. "This will help the convicts get work once they are released from the prison," explained Gawade. The correctional facility has around 130 prisoners compared to the capacity of 200.
Gawade added that while the rates for the washing centre are yet to be finalised, they are likely to be around Rs 150 for four-wheelers.
The open jail, which is spread over a 129-acre plot and is located at a distance of around 40km from Ahmednagar in Srigonda taluka, also plans to undertake mulberry plantations. The mulberry will be sold to farmers who are into sericulture.
Gawade said, last year, they had launched a poultry project with around 150 hens. The jail also has around 75 male and female goats for sale and about 40 Jersey cows, whose milk is used for the staff and inmates.
The inmates of open jails, which have less security and more space for convicts to work in occupations like farming, are selected on the basis of good behavior and the possibility of rehabilitation after their release.
Similar initiatives have also been launched at other correctional facilities. For instance, at the Paithan open jail, the prisoners serve snacks like misal cooked on a wood-fired stove, samosas and tea at their 'Hotel Sagar Kinara'. At the Kalamba jail in Kolhapur, lady inmates prepare laddoos to be served as prasad at the Ambabai (Mahalaxmi) temple in the town. The department also plans to start petrol pumps serviced by inmates at the Yerawada central jail in Pune and then extend the initiative to cover other facilities.
Maharashtra has 54 prisons, including nine central jails, 19 class-I district prisons, 23 class-II district prisons and three class-III district jails, in addition to 172 sub-jails. This also includes 13 open prisons, including two for women, one special prison at Ratnagiri, one women prison at Byculla, one open colony at Atpadi in Sangli, and one Borstal school at Nashik.
CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
The Maharashtra prisons department is planning to launch a garage and washing centre, which will be manned by convicts lodged at the open jail, located around 250km from Mumbai. A garage and greasing unit may also be started along with the washing centre.
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