THRISSUR: The Prisons and Correctional Services Department opened the first hi-tech jail in the state at Viyyur. Adding the name of its first inmate in the register on Wednesday, DGP Rishiraj Singh said 55 people jailed with charges of anti-national activities in the state would be shifted to the cells here.
The opening of the hi-tech prison comes in the backdrop of the Home Affairs Department planning to bring about a series of interventions in the Jail Department following wide criticism over the recent jailbreak in Thiruvananthapuram.
The completed building of the hi-tech jail was inaugurated in 2016 by the then Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. However, it couldn’t start functioning due to technical issues. “I came to know that it was technical issues like lack of transformer for power supply that hindered the opening of the jail. Within three days it got cleared and it was opened,” said Singh.
Fool-proof security for prisoners
Situated on 10 acres near Viyyur Central Prison, the hi-tech jail was constructed with most modern facilities to avoid any kind of anomalies. Equipped with double-layered compound wall, each cell will be monitored by CCTV cameras. Visitors have to undergo strict security scanning while the entire compound will be under surveillance from five watchtowers.
According to the police, prisoners will be tried through video conferencing, thereby eliminating the need to bring them out of their cells. All the cells are equipped with attached bathrooms. A hospital with basic facilities will also be made available on the premises. The prison was constructed at a cost of Rs 31 crore. The entry gates are equipped with hi-tech facilities that require identity verification to open them.
