Lifers incarcerated in the Tiruchi Central Prison will take up public service activities at periodic intervals at select outdoor spots in the district henceforth.
The Prisons Department has planned to engage a group of convicts undergoing life imprisonment in the Central Jail here in the task of cleaning up government buildings and public places in the days to come.
Productive vocation
Lifers with good conduct would be handpicked for this assignment with the objective of engaging them in a productive vocation for the benefit of the society.
The mission was kick-started with a group of lifers cleaning up the sprawling prison staff quarters near the Central Prison here recently.
During the half-a-day cleaning mission monitored by Central Prison officials, 55 convicts armed with necessary paraphernalia got into the act removing the thick bushes and garbage strewn in the area to make it tidy.
The operation was carried out on Sunday at the City Police Office where another set of convicts embarked on the mission for over four hours. Similar missions are proposed to be carried out at Government Hospitals, Collectorate, combined court complex, government school and offices and public parks, say prison authorities.
The whole idea is to provide an opportunity for the convicts to do their bit for the society by cleaning up the designated places, says, A. Murugesan, Superintendent of Prisons, Tiruchi.
Healthy diversion
Embarking on such social service acts would provide a healthy diversion for the convicts serving lengthy duration in jail, he said.
The objective was to bring about a change in their mind set and remove the black mark against them, he pointed out.
The positive initiative taken up on the instruction of the Additional Director General of Police, Prisons would be carried out only on Sundays.
Accommodating over 1,200 prisoners, the Tiruchi Central Prison has around 600 convicts.
