Lifers take up farming, cattle care on jail premises

Nalgonda: In what can be called as significant transformation, the prisoners facing life imprisonment in district central jail are now trying to contribute to the society in a positive way. They had come to jails on murder charges, but over the years, they have been suffering from a sense of guilt. While serving their jail term, they are growing vegetables and taking care of the cattle during the summer.

According to the official sources, nine persons of whom Komaraiah, Ushaiah, Dashartha, Kanakaiah, Nagaiah, Venkataswamy are lifers and Venkanna, Nagesh and Ramprasad are non-lifers were imprisoned in Nalgonda district central jail. They started repenting for the heinous crimes they committed in a fit of rage from the time of imprisonment.

They decided among themselves to maintain good discipline and take part in some constructive activity. After observing their behaviour for three years, jail officials decided to engage them in open air farming and dairy activities on the jail premises. At present, the convicted prisoners are taking care of teak plants, cultivating brinjal crops and looking after the cows in the dairy farm in shifts.

As a part of their responsibility, they pour available well water twice a day to teak plants and brinjal saplings to save them during the hot summer. They remove the weeds in the crop regularly to get better yields. They also bath the cows in the dairy farm and feed them with grass at regular intervals.

With the collective efforts of prisoners, 15 to 20 kg of brinjals are being grown in a week. Also, four litres of milk is being produced. The grown vegetables and milk from cattle is being used every day for the preparation of curries, tea and coffee for the prison inmates. Speaking to The Hans India here on Tuesday, District Superintendent of Jails D Srinivas said that the prisoners in the jail were being engaged in different works to get rid of their loneliness and boredom.

They would be paid Rs 50 per day for their work which would be deposited in their accounts, he said. The Superintendent also said that the lifers with good conduct and discipline during their period of conviction were engaged in open-air farming and dairy activities on the jail premises. He said that the prisoners had planted 5,000 teak saplings in 10 acres of land spread over on the jail premises and sowed brinjal in half-an-acre. Besides, they were also looking after the dairy farm that has five cows, he added.