The ‘Feel the Jail’ initiative, though having a slow start, did not disappoint the authorities as it attracted quite a few to the heritage jail at the district headquarters. Now, the officials have come up with another initiative of keeping the jail open for a week from February 14 as part of the Heritage Jail Week observed by the Prisons Department.
In that one week, the heritage jail would offer Pancha Karma Chikitsa, a part of the Keralaya ayurvedic system, to visitors. Two rooms and a hall would be made available for the service, adjacent to ‘Feel the Jail’ barrack. An ayurvedic doctor from Zaheerabad has been hired by the department, while a prisoner serving life has been imparted training in massage. Besides, two persons from Kerala have been roped in to offer Pancha Karma Chikitsa to the visitors.
Home Minister Naini Narasimha Reddy would inaugurate the service on the concluding day of Heritage Jail Week.
During the week-long programme, cultural events would be held on the jail premises every day from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in which celebrities would take part.
Disclosing these details to media persons here on Friday, B. Sadaiah, DIG, Hyderabad Range, said the Prisons Department was in a reformation mode in the State and several steps were taken that have resulted in the number of prisoners going down from 6,500 to 5,800. “The Unnati programme taken up by the department is yielding good results. We are also offering employment to prisoners and some of them are being hired in petrol bunks and industries being run by the department,” he said, adding that they were offering a salary of ₹12,000 for those working in petrol bunks in Hyderabad, whereas the salary in rural areas was ₹9,000. He said the petrol bunk in Sangareddy would be opened by April.
Jail Superintendent K. Santosh Rai was also present on the occasion.
