Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the jail petrol pump scheme launched by the Prisons Department in association with Indian Oil Corporation through videoconference on Thursday. The Chief Minister also inaugurated a new special sub-jail to reduce the number of prisoners in the Irinjalakuda special sub-jail. Nearly 200 prisoners can be accommodated in the new facility.
He also inaugurated a new administrative wing built at a budget of ₹2 crore at the Cheemeni open jail and laid the foundation stone for a dispensary at Thrikkaripur, to be built using the MLA fund.
As part of the petrol pump scheme, petrol pumps will come up at the Thiruvananthapuram, Viyyur, and Kannur central jails, and the Cheemeni open jail. The outlets at the Thiruvananthapuram, Viyyur, and Cheemeni jails were inaugurated on Thursday.
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The IOC is spending ₹9.5 crore to set up the four pumps on land given by the Prisons Department. The department share is ₹30 lakh. The land is given on 30 years’ lease to the IOC. The petrol pumps would have comfort stations too, the Chief Minister said.
The scheme will provide jobs to at least 15 prisoners in each pump.