Faridabad: Under open jail plan, convicts to get flats on prison premises

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, March 13

The district jail authorities have initiated the process of making available 2 BHK flats accommodation to 36 convicts of the district jail here, under the Open Jail concept launched by the state government. Faridabad and Karnal are the two districts which have been selected for the purpose in the first phase of the initiative.

Revealing that Rs 62 lakh fund had been released by the government in 2018 for the renovation of the flats, available within the jail premises, an official said that the flats are proposed to be provided to those convicts who had exhibited excellent conduct during the jail sentence and have completed majority of their sentence.

The total number of prisoners lodged here at present is 3,000. While around 1,400 are convicts, the rest were undertrials. The total capacity of the district jail located at Neemka village is around 2,500.

Admitting that the work on the concept of Open Jail has started, a district official said the selection of the eligible convicts has almost been processed and the final approval of the higher authorities is awaited.

According to the plan, the convicts will be able to shift to the flats along with their families after the end of the selection process.

Though the flats had been initially built for the jail staff, many had been lying vacant for the past several years as these were excessive in number. The tenders for the renovation of the flats had been taken up in 2018-19.

According to officials, the renovation has been carried out by the Haryana Police Housing Corporation and the flats are ready for possession. More flats could be made available in the future if the experiment is a success, it is claimed.

Anil Kumar, Deputy Superintendent, District Jail, said that the work on the concept was under process and was likely to be implemented this year. He, however, said that more details of the initiative could not be revealed at this juncture.

Facility free of cost

This residential facility will be free of cost as no rent or fee for basic amenities will be charged. The allottees will be free to work outside the jail, but within 10-km radius of the jail. They will be required to report back at their residence in the evening.

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