The Prisons Department organised a one-day training in beekeeping for the inmates of the open air jail at Ondipudur here on Tuesday.
The training was aimed at imparting knowledge on beekeeping to the prisoners and to equip them to take up apiculture for income after they complete conviction.
G. Shanmuga Sundaram, Deputy Inspector General of police, Prisons, (Coimbatore range), arranged the training programme in which Ranjith Babu from Kavin Apiary conducted the training for prisoners. It also commemorated the World Bee Day which is celebrated on May 20.
The open air prison spread across 30 acres at Ondipudur has about 900 coconut palms. At present, 24 prisoners are spending their conviction in the open air prison where they engage in agricultural works, poultry, rearing of cows, goats and rabbits.
The prisoners also produce three varieties of vegetable oils (coconut, gingelly and groundnut) which are sold under the brand name ‘Freedom’ through the prison bazaar on Dr. Nanjappa Road, Gandhipuram.
M. Urmila, Superintendent of the Coimbatore Central Prison, said the Department followed a set of rules while selecting convict prisoners who were sent to the open air prison.
As per rules, they should have completed one third of their conviction period and should not have been involved in more than one crime. Those convicted for the offence of certain crimes including robbery are not sent to the open air prison.
