Proposal of land for new Central Prison building in Mysuru pending for a decade

Mysuru: The proposal by officials of department of prisons and correctional services for atleast 50 acres of land for a new building of Central Prison in Chief Minister's home district has been pending for over a decade.

The proposal was sent to Mysuru Deputy Commissioner much before 2014.

Mysuru Central Prison has the capacity to house 577 inmates including 45 women. But they are currently housing 778 inmates including 39 women, which is about 25% more than the capacity.

Chief Superintendent of Mysuru Central Prison Sheshu Murthy informed that, they are coming up with a new barrack with a capacity to house 240 more people at the cost of Rs 6 crore. The work which began in 2022-23 is 85 per cent complete. During a recent meeting, they have discussed with Mysuru DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy about identifying the land for a new prison building. He has assured us to take necessary measures, he said.

Department can now construct (G+2-Ground plus two) building high security prisons. However it is ideal not to expand prisons vertically for security reasons. So they have sought land for a new prison around Mysuru city. It should be close to the hospital and court, to shift the inmates. Also, it should be close to the bus stop and railway station, so that it would be helpful for family members of the inmates, who visit the jail to meet their kin conveniently.

Reformatory measures taken

With the support of DG Prisons and Correctional Services, Alok Kumar, officials of Mysuru central prison led by Chief Superintendent Sheshu Murthy have taken up several programmes, in jail, to reform the inmates. Even as personalities like Elizabeth Fry, Mahatma Gandhi believed that prisons should be the place of reform, measures are being taken in this regard, to even address the mental health care of inmates by involving psychologists and with yoga sessions at Mysuru prison.

Initiatives are taken up to keep the inmates engaged productively. They are restarting the Parivarthana bakery unit which was closed recently. They have even tied up with Coir board to produce products out of Coir; and coconut shells like cups. The women inmates are part of the tailoring unit. They knit sweaters, shawls. They have a weaving unit, where the inmates weave clothes. The products manufactured by inmates, like carpets, bedsheets, handkerchiefs, towels are exhibited with the brand name of Parivartana and sold at Mysuru Dasara Exhibition.

In order to help towards inmates' rehabilitation and livelihood, once they are released, officials also organise several skill development courses. They are planning to train them to enact a play. Earlier they had a music band, but all the band members are released now. They have also enacted several plays earlier also.

Amid growing population and crime rate, it is imperative for Prisons to have more space, to take up more such productive, innovative, reformative and rehabilitation measures, besides housing the inmates comfortably. So the Chief Minister should ensure he gets land for a new building of prison at his home district soon, experts feel.