HYDERABAD: The Telangana prisons department will soon take up repairs and maintenance of government primary schools across the state. In response to a proposal to this effect sent to the education department, the prisons department received a positive response last week. However, the home department has not responded to the proposal till now.
“The education department has written to us stating they have no objection with us taking up repairs and maintenance of government schools,” said Vinoy Kumar Singh, Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services.
Earlier in January, he had announced that his department would take up the activities first on a pilot basis. The prisons department had a meeting with state government on Thursday to discuss about the raw material. “We have asked the government to provide us the raw material as we have skilled labour. We have also written to 200 banks and corporations to take part in the initiative through their Corporate Social Responsibility,” Singh said adding that many of them have already expressed their willingness to partner with prisons department.
It has been planned to start the programme with 10 schools in each district across the state. The team of repairs and maintenance personnel will include, mostly, two painters, a mason, a carpenter and a plumber. The department is also learnt to be contemplating to start the programme first in select five districts of the state.
“We are in the process of formulating the team. Once we have the raw material, we can start the programme. At present, we are giving training to our select inmates,” said the DG.
Around 160 open air prisoners have been chosen for the task. They include those serving imprisonment for murders, land dispute, harassment etc. “We do not need to send homeguards with the prisoners who will be given the responsibility. They are prisoners who have gone and returned on time during paroles and furloughs. High security prisoners or habitual offenders will not be a part of this,” the DG explained.
However, he refused to give a time frame for the project stating that talks are on for finding private partners to reduce the pressure on the government for providing the material. According to Singh, repairs and maintenance would mean whitewash of school buildings, repair of ceilings to prevent leaking during monsoon, repair of non-functional toilets, providing desks, benches and tables etc.
Sangareddy Museum: Vinoy Kumar Singh said that about 70 per cent of the works have been completed in the prisons museum. ‘’We should be able to inaugurate the museum in March,” he said.