Following in the footsteps of the Central Prison, Poojappura, the district jail here is set to attain self-sufficiency in power soon.
Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan laid the foundation stone for a new solar energy project on the district jail premises in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Speaking at the function, the Minister said the project was aimed at making the jails self-sufficient in electricity. Proper measures for waste management would be taken up in jails and methods would be adopted only after considering the views of the public, he said.
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The Minister also inaugurated a new biogas plant; a prison management software; and the distribution of sports kits for inmates. According to Alexander Jacob, Additional Director General (Prisons), many projects had been envisaged for the jails in the State to make these self-sufficient in all areas. The project to shift to solar energy would be undertaken in jails across the State and Rs.25.56 crore had been earmarked for this.
The biogas plant had been set up with the help of Greentech and was expected to solve the problem of waste management in the jail. The usage of LPG cylinders could be considerably reduced with this, Mr. Jacob said.
The software was developed by a Technopark-based IT company. It was expected to save time and effort for data entry, sources said.
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V. Sivankutty, MLA; Keltron Managing Director C. Prasanna Kumar; and Deputy Inspector-General of Prisons H. Gopakumar were present.