CM initiates high-level committee to reform state prisons

T'puram: CM Pinarayi Vijayan proposed the formation of a high-level committee to address the shortcomings in the state's prisons. The committee, comprising the additional chief secretaries of the home and finance departments and the director general of prisons, was tasked with visiting jails, identifying inadequacies and submitting recommendations within three months.
The announcement was made during an online meeting convened to discuss the Supreme Court's directive on reducing prison overcrowding. As part of the measures, inmates from overcrowded jails will be relocated to facilities with more capacity. Additionally, the govt plans to identify a suitable location for a new central prison between Viyyur and Thiruvananthapuram.
Other steps include repairing existing cells, constructing new ones and expediting the construction of new prisons in Pathanamthitta and Thaliparamba. The meeting was attended by chief secretary Sharada Muraleedharan, additional chief secretaries A Jayathilak and Bishwanath Sinha, state police chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib and ADGP and director general (prisons and correctional services) Balram Kumar Upadhyay.
However, with numerous committees already in place, it will be interesting to see how yet another one will truly address the long-standing issues in the prison system rather than adding another layer of bureaucracy.