Team News Riveting
Kochi, October 7
Hands, accused of heinous crime, are ploughing the field to pluck fresh harvest in the Kerala jail tucked away unobtrusively in the hilly terrains.
A well-maintained rubber plantation, honey bee farm, vegetable garden, dairy farm, poultry farm and what not—the men in white shirts and blue “mund (dhoti)” are on the job. They are the inmates of Nettukaltheri open jail, located in lush green surroundings filled with the chirping of parrots, buzzing of bees and cries of peacocks.
About 35 km away from the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, the breezy hills of Nettukaltheri attract the visitors. Interestingly, not for the picturesque location but for the open jail that is home to around 390 inmates.
Spread in a sprawling 474 acres of land surrounding the jail, the inmates convicted for heinous crimes cultivate it and generate Rs 2 crore annually. This green haven for the prisoners in Kerala is the highest income generating jail in the state.
A check dam facilitates the irrigation and freshwater fish cultivation in the jail that has no lockups and follows a dormitory system. In all, 387 inmates live and work.
Founded in 1962, prisoners with good conduct are selected from the central jails across the state to stay in Nettukaltheri jail. The day starts at 5.54 am with inmates lining up to divide in the two campuses— 274 acres in Nettukaltheri and 200 acres in Thevancode village about 8 km away that the forest department has provided.
With 20 acres of organic vegetable cultivation, the farm is home to fresh spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, long beans, ladies finger, red ladies finger, long beans, cucumber and strawberries. After keeping aside the requisite harvest for the jail mess, the remaining is sold through their sale units garnering an income of Rs 10 lakh annually.
Besides profits from the vegetable garden, one of the major sources of income for the prison is from the 200 acres of a rubber plantation that makes 1000 rubber sheets every day and generates upto Rs 1 crore annually.
Every inmate in the open jail is given an honorarium of Rs 230 per day for the work they do and the amount is transferred to their account when they are released. They are also allotted 15-day parole for every 75 days in the prison.
“The atmosphere that we’ve created here is very pleasant. The inmates are allowed to walk around freely and even have a recreational centre along with a library with more than 20,000 books,” the jail officials say.
An Abkari (liquor) contractor and prime accused of the Kalluvathukkal hooch tragedy that claimed 41 lives is on a mission in the open jail—working for pesticide farming. Having spent 20 years in prison and has created a niche for himself as the best farmer.
The breeze in the Nettukaltheri hills has the power to transform!
