THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A picnic on jail premises, surrounded by greenery. How does that sound?
In what would be a first in the country, the department of prisons and correctional services is setting up a botanical garden on the Nettukaltheri Open Prison premises to promote it as both a knowledge hub and a tourist spot.
Christened ‘Freedom’, which is the signature brand of all products rolled out from prisons, the botanical garden is being set up on three acres of land.
The first phase of the three-phase project, which involves landscaping and planting, is nearing completion. As many as 100 inmates executed the work.
The second phase entails construction of an artificial stream, ponds and an amphitheatre, while the third phase will see the plant nursery and allied facilities getting operational, said Ajith Singh W R, agriculture officer of the Nettukaltheri prison.
Spread across 274 acres in the foothills of the Western Ghats, the prison sits adjacent to the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of the Agasthyamala biosphere. Several medicinal plants and herbs endemic to the region, such as the famed ‘arogyapacha’, will be preserved in the garden.
“The botanical garden will primarily serve students, researchers and academicians. We will also implement measures to attract tourists to generate revenue to keep the garden running. The plant nursery is also part of commercialising the project,” Ajith said. Prison Superintendent Mohammed Siyad K credited DIG of Prisons (Central Zone) Sajeev S, the previous superintendent of thee jail, as the brain behind the project.
“The first stage is almost complete; the fencing is also done. Fencing is important due to the abundance of wildlife,” Siyad said.
Mini tea, coffee and cardamom gardens and a silver oak plantation will also come up in the garden.
Once fully developed, the garden will have strong tourism potential, the officials believe. Nettukaltheri falls close to several tourist spots such as Kottoor elephant sanctuary, Neyyar Dam and Agastyarkoodam and can evolve into a picnic spot as well.