Mysore jail inmates forgo non-veg food to help U'khand victims

Joining hands with those doing their mite to help Uttarakhand flood victims, the inmates of Central Prisons Mysore have stopped consuming non-vegetarian food from July 2.

Confirming this to Deccan Herald, P N Jayasimha, chief superintendent of the prisons, said, “the prisoners have decided not to eat mutton (the only non-vegetarian stuff given to prisoners) served once in a week on Tuesdays; July 2, 9 and 16. The amount that could be saved by not buying meat is estimated at Rs 1.28 lakh.

Jayasimha said, as is the procedure, non-veg is served only once a week, on Tuesday. Some among the inmates, petitioned him with a memorandum saying: “We are moved by the plight of Uttarakhand flood victims. Hence, we have decided not to consume non-veg food on the aforesaid dates. The money spent could be donated to the fund”. The memorandum, along with the proposal to handover the amount to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, has been duly forwarded to K V Gagandeep, ADGP, Prisons, Bangalore, Jayasimha added.

The Mysore jail has 1,120 inmates, with a majority of them consuming non-veg food. Of the total prisoners, 1,058 are men and 62 are women. Among a total of 520 convicts, 32 are women. According to the prisons manual, 125 kg of mutton is bought at the rate of Rs 40,296 (Rs 320 per kg). Each prisoner (those eating non-veg) will be served 90 gram of meat.

Jayasimha said, the cheque will be handed over to the authorities concerned after July 16.