Prison Bazaars, which were closed down, are being revived. Already, the bazaar at Saidapet has been opened, according to C. Sylendra Babu, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons).
To prevent malpractice, the ADGP said those manning the bazaars had been trained in account keeping. “Auditing will be done by a private person,” he said.
He was in Vellore for a routine inspection of the Vellore Central Prison for Men on Saturday. To prevent the use of cell phones in prisons, the Prisons Department would install jammers at the Central Prisons in Vellore and Coimbatore in three months, he told reporters.
The ADGP said the government had allocated ₹1 crore to set up a unit to manufacture shoes exclusively for women personnel, at the Central Prison for Men, Vellore.
The unit was making shoes for male personnel in the prison, police and fire departments.
Bakeries in prisons
Bakeries would be established in all prisons in the State. “We have a state-of-the-art bakery in Puzhal. The machine has been imported from Germany and cookies and bread are made here. Similar bakeries will be opened in all prisons soon,” Mr. Babu said.
On Saturday, certificates were distributed to 80 inmates for completing Classes X, XII and undergraduate degrees, he added. Of the total 15,000 inmates in prisons across Tamil Nadu, 6,000 had completed classes X, XII and UG degrees, he added.
He said 138 inmates were studying courses at the ITI opened at the Tiruchi prison. It offered six months, one year and two year courses. A textile unit had been established at the Coimbatore prison, he added.
