CHENNAI: Lack of awareness among victims of grave crimes and bureaucratic indifference have comprehensively defeated the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) programme in Tamil Nadu, say advocates and prison reform activists.

The landmark initiative intends to pay monetary compensation to victims of grave offences, from out of the earnings of the convict. Over seven years after the programme came into force, each of the eight Central Prisons in Tamil Nadu boasts of lakhs of rupees under the Fund. For instance, while the Coimbatore Central Prison has over Rs.64 lakh to its credit, the Madurai Central Prison has about Rs.46 lakh.

Convicts, unlike undertrials, are permitted to be engaged in skilled trades inside prisons. As per a January 2000 order, the Wage Fixation Committee of the Government has fixed Rs.60 as daily wages for skilled workers, Rs.50 for semi-skilled and Rs.45 for unskilled persons engaged in workshop or mill activities in prisons. Of this, 50 per cent of the wages would be retained towards the "upkeep" of prisoners. While 30 per cent is credited into their personal account, the remaining 20 per cent is set aside for the Victim Compensation Fund.

The Fund is meant to be used to pay compensation to deserving victims of offence or to legal heirs of persons killed in a criminal act, said V. Kannadasan, Special Public Prosecutor for Human Rights Court.S

The deducted wages are to be credited into a new personal deposit account opened by Superintendents of Central Prisons in districts, and a separate personal deposit account in the office of the Inspector-General of Prisons at the State level. The prison fund available at the district-level is transferred to the State-level fund once in three months.

The District Collector shall be the Chairman of the district-level committee, comprising Superintendent of Central Prisons as Member-Secretary, and Superintendent of Police and Regional Probation Officer as Members. As for the State-level committee, the Home Secretary shall be the Chairman. While the Director-General of Police shall be the Member, the Inspector-General of Prison shall be the Member-Secretary.

While the district committee is to identify the deserving victim/kin and make recommendations, the State Committee is entitled to approve or disapprove the suggestion, and modify the quantum of compensation.

What irks activists is that no victim has been paid the compensation amount so far, despite the elaborate arrangements discussed in the Government Order and the Rules framed thereunder.

A senior official estimated that a Victim Compensation Fund totalling to a few crores of rupees was at the disposal of the State prison administration at present.

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