Officials-run syndicate inside Tamil Nadu's jails makes a killing stealing prisoners' food ration

CHENNAI: A syndicate of personnel of the prison department is thriving on the veil of secrecy offered by the high walls and the plight of the voiceless inmates of the central prisons in the State.

Reliable sources in the department said the syndicate, starting from a warder to top officials, is exploiting the system and making money out of the rations allocated for the inmates. They have also exploited the system, the Prisoner Cash Property Deposit (PCPD) to cite an example, to their advantage to flee the prisoners and their relatives.

A senior official in the department claimed they had been taking corrective measures to iron out the flaws in the system and also initiated action against the department personnel indulging in corrupt practices.

"The wrongdoings of an individual or a few cannot be used to tarnish the image of the entire department," said the officer. The Director General of Prisons and Correctional Administration, Maheswar Dayal has taken a series of corrective measures to break syndicates and root out deep-rooted corruption, including transferring those serving in a central prison for more than three years.

The departmental probe ordered against the deputy jailer of Puzhal Prison - II in connection with a scam in procuring gas cylinders was the tip of an iceberg of the existing syndicate in the department. The DGP has also found personnel manning the canteen in Puzhal were making a killing by selling the snacks, fruits and eatables to the inmates.

Going by the rules and prison manual, the jailbirds are entitled to buy food items and essential items like soap and toothpaste, permitted to be sold to the inmates, using the cash in their respective PCP (Prisoner Cash Property) deposit. A prisoner classified as 'A' and 'B' class can buy fruits and other essentials from the canteen for Rs 1,000 per week and Rs 750 per week respectively.

However, the warder established a network with prisoners' family members and sold items beyond the permissible limit, but for higher prices.

The family members paid the warder through Gpay. It came to light in March this year. Following this, the DGP ordered the closure of the canteen in Puzhal. This prompted a prisoner to approach the Madras High Court, seeking its intervention. The prisoner, in the affidavit, pleaded to reopen the canteen to cater to the needs of the prisons. Admitting irregularities in operating the canteen, an official said, "We have streamlined the system and opened the canteen now. We will look into other prisons in the coming days," the officer said.

The State government, last year, brought changes to the diet plan of the inmates to improve the nutritious supplement and enhanced the budget for the same. The GO also spoke of increased allocation of Rs 207 and Rs 146 per day for 'A' and 'B' class prisoners respectively.

However, the inside story says something different. A prisoner freed after over two decades of imprisonment told DT Next: "The food served to the inmates was unfit for human consumption and not even worth one-fourth of the amount allocated. Most of the prisoners eat that to survive their jail term. If the prisoner has money in their account (PCPD), he/she buys fruits like bananas and biscuits so as not to starve,"

"If we raise the issue and speak for our rights, we will be targeted and isolated by the authorities. It will ultimately take away our peaceful existence in the prisons and rights. They would brand us as troublemakers and it will reflect in our reports and ultimately affect our chance of (early) release," said another released prisoner, who was also a paralegal volunteer during his jail term.

However, a senior official said the quality of the food can't be that bad since rice, sugar, and wheat are procured from the Civil Supplies department, and vegetables, oil and other items from Khadi and Cooperatives. "They cannot expect food like what is served in their home," he said.

"We are improving the system and making it accountable, but the nature of complaints against the department is not new," he added.