Kerala to form high-level panel to address deficiencies in prisons

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Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 4 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered the constitution of a high-level committee to visit prisons and submit suggestions to address deficiencies.

The committee will consist of the additional chief secretaries of the Home and Finance departments and the head of the prisons department in the state, an official release stated on Tuesday.

The committee should submit its suggestions within three months, the chief minister said.

The CM was speaking at an online meeting convened as per the Supreme Court's directive to reduce the overcrowding in prisons.

Prisoners will be shifted from overcrowded prisons to prisons with more capacity and fewer prisoners.

A suitable site will be found between the existing prisons in Viyyur in Thrissur district and Thiruvananthapuram to establish a new central prison, the release said.

The high-level committee has been asked to suggest steps to reduce overcrowding by repairing cells and constructing new cells.

The construction work on new prisons in Pathanamthitta and Taliparamba in Kannur will be expedited, it said.

State chief secretary Saradha Muraleedharan, additional chief secretaries A Jayathilak, Bishwanath Sinha, state police chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, Jail DGP Balram Kumar Upadhyay and others attended the meeting. PTI MVG SSK MVG SSK ROH