Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Pre-paid cards for open jail inmates

Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR: The long-felt need of prisoners in the open-air jail at Reddypalli near here was fulfilled on Thursday, when 10 of them were provided an opportunity to be in touch with their "estranged" family members over phone as they were supplied with prepaid call making cards.

District and Sessions Judge K. Gaddenna distributed India Telephone Cards, a BSNL prepaid call-making cards, to 10 prisoners. The facility was also inaugurated in Cherlapalli and Rajahmundry open-air jails in the State. Speaking on the occasion, the judge said it was good step towards bringing further transformation among the prisoners.

Elated at getting the facility Sudarshan Reddy, a prisoner from Kurnool district, was overwhelmed with joy. "I can be in touch with my family members and give suggestions for family business from time to time by speaking to them over telephone. Otherwise, each visit of my family members to me would cost them about Rs. 500", he said.

The prisoners were given Rs. 100 value ITC cards and they could exhaust it in a month or more.

Good behaviour

The amount for the card would be deducted from their wages for the work given in the jail, Superintendent of open-air jail Md. Munawar said. More prisoners could take the ITC cards once the Government released inmates based on their good behaviour on the coming Republic Day.

In all, the jail authorities had recommended release of 108 inmates of the open-air jail here. The total number of inmates of the jail was 158. Superintendent of district jail Fazal Haque also participated.

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