COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Prison department has introduced intercom facility at Coimbatore Central Prison on a pilot basis to facilitate inmates communicate with their family members without disturbance.
A total of 2,310 persons, including 110 women, are housed in Coimbatore Central prison as convicts and remand prisoners. Relatives of remand prisoners are allowed to meet them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while convicts and those who are detained under Goondas Act are allowed to meet with their family members on Tuesday and Thursday.
Family members, relatives and legal counsels can meet the prisoners after submitting a petition to the prison authorities. The meeting takes place in a room where both sides stand 2 metres apart and are separated by bars.
Because of this, elderly people on both sides have to strain their vocal chords to be able to be heard by the other person amid the din. “Elderly people have to speak loudly as the other side cannot hear or understand them. Considering the practical difficulties, we are allowing three visitors for each prisoner at a time. On average 400 to 500 visitors usually come to the prison to meet the prisoners in a day. But the space provided in the interview hall is not enough. So we have introduced the intercom facility,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Prisons (Coimbatore range), G Shanmuga Sundaram.
According to him, the intercoms will help the inmates and their relatives talk freely without any disturbances. A total of eight phones have been installed and eight more would be installed soon. “The Puzhal prison in Chennai has this facility in a fully equipped manner. But in Coimbatore, We have arranged the facility in a cost-effective way by spending Rs 50,000 from the department’s welfare fund. The prison department has taken action for this on a humanitarian basis. The facility will be expanded to other district prisons,” Shanmuga Sundaram added.