KAKINADA: The state government would consider a plea to grant pardon to prisoners who served long jail terms. Home Minister V Anitha stated this on Monday while on a visit of the Central Prison in Rajamahendravaram.
The minister inaugurated a Prisoners’ Cafe and petrol bunk there. A prisoner who served 24 years in the central prison approached her with a plea for pardon. In response, she said a decision on this issue would be taken soon on humanitarian grounds.
She said no Disha police stations existed in the state, as the relevant law has not been passed. Women police stations would look after the safety of women. In the past, parole was granted on the surety of one person, but the regulations changed. “We would review these regulations,” she said.
The minister said efforts would be made to see that prisoners are weaned away from their criminal attitudes and help them get jobs as in fuel outlets.
While there are 16 sub-jails, two central jails, one special jail and one Boston jail in the state, these currently hold 3,483 prisoners; 700 prisoners more than their capacity. The central jail’s capacity is 1200 but 50 more prisoners were lodged there, she said.
The minister said 1700 persons had been arrested in ganja cases, out of which 1000 persons were sent to Visakhapatnam jail and 376 put in the Rajamahendravaram Jail.
Anitha visited the Sneha Block in the central prison, where Nara Chandrababu Naidu had spent a remand period of 52 days. “I was heartbroken when I visited this place,” the minister claimed. She also visited barack, where local MLA Adireddy Srinivas spent his remand period.
The central Jail personnel requested the minister to provide health security to them on the lines of civil police.
The minister and Srinivas jointly inaugurated a cricket practice ground. Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary, jails IG Viswajit, DIG Ravi Kiran, jail superintendent Rahul and others were present.
