MADHYA PRADESH: Driven by her knowledge and expertise in agriculture and horticulture, a young woman police official in Madhya Pradesh has turned the Narsinghpur Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh into a ‘green jail.’
Meet Shilpa Chhattar, an assistant jail superintendent of the Central Jail, who within 20 months of her first posting has transformed the multi-acre barren land on the jail premises into a lush green land replete with fruits, flower and vegetable plantations.
A native of Jabalpur district of the state, Chhattar, who holds a masters degree in agriculture sciences from State Agriculture University in Himachal Pradesh’s Palanpur, got her first posting in the MP Jail Services in September 2018.
“Within a few weeks of my joining, Central Jail superintendent Shephali Tiwari had asked me to pursue my passion for vegetable farming at the jail. I first developed an organic insecticide for some trees already existed inside the premises and later, I took up the task of turning the jail into a green jail,” Chhattar said.
She began with planting Moringa and Meethi Neem trees and followed it up with fruit, flower and vegetable farming.
Joined by jail inmates from farming background, the young officer has since then transformed the multi-acre barren land into a green patch. She divided the saplings the phases. First, along with the inmates planted vegetables of all genres in many acres, then, went on to plantings fruit and flower saplings.
“Not only this, but we have also made hanging gardens comprising Snapdragon, Lily, Marigold among other flowers, to render positivity to the inmates. We have also started vegetable farming inside the main jail and will now take up the task of developing wondrous garden on the premises,” Chhattar said.
Impressed by her passion for farming, a few months back, the state jail directorate chose her to train newly recruited jail guards from across the state in farming and agriculture practices in Khargone district.
Showering praise on Chhttar’s efforts to turn the jail into a green jail in less than two years, Tiwari said:
“Thanks to the efforts of Shilpa, we never faced a shortage of any vegetable during the Covid-19 lockdown. Also, her initiative of growing Napier grass on the campus has helped improve milk yield of the cows staying at jail cowsheds.”