HYDERABAD:How about booking yourself a cell at the prison for a night? Well, sounds interesting? The Telangana state prisons department has come up with an innovative initiative to let a citizen feel the life of a prisoner. At its Heritage Jail Museum in Sangareddy, the authorities would soon take bookings for the cells.
The scheme is called “Feel the Jail”. The cost would not be less than Rs 500 for a 24-hour long stay at the Nizam-era jail, built in 1796. The recently restored structure with its 8 male-barracks, one female-barrack, kitchen, dispensary, mess hall, isolation room, old superintendent’s office and three watch towers used to house 110 inmates at the premises spread around five acres. The jail was shifted in May 2012.
“We are having up to 30 visitors to the jail museum on any day. We thought of this concept for public to get a feel of jail. He or she will not be allowed to use a cell phone and would be locked up alone in the cell after 5 o’clock and will not see another human being for the night.
They will be served typical jail food (rice and dal) and made to sleep on the floor and given a blanket, said V K Singh, Director General (Prisons).
The officer was speaking along the lines of the annual press meet at the prison headquarter at Chanchalguda, one of the old suburbs in Hyderabad.