Cops to have video-conferencing

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Videoconferencing will soon become common in prisons all over the state.Now the facility is available in three central prisons Poojappura, Viyyoor and Kannur.In the second phase of the implementation, the plan is to introduce videoconferencing in at least three prisons in each district.The facility considerably reduces the expense of producing a person under remand before courts. It can also prevent the escape of prisoners on the way to court. Moreover, it is most convenient when it comes to handling the proceedings involving notorious criminals.In such cases, hardcore convicts like LeT South India head Thadiyantavide Nazeer are not needed to be taken to Coimbatore or Bangalore, which is indeed high risk.To begin with, Ernakulam subjail is the first to get the facility. "Here, it will cost around Rs 3.45 core to install the studio and arrange the related facilities. It will take a huge amount to implement it in more prisons," sources told Express.The studio for videoconferencing will be set up by the Prisons Constructions Unit in cooperation with Keltron as it was the case in Poojappura, Viyyur and Kannur central prisons.Keltron has already conducted training classes for persons in selected prisons and courts to operate the facility.Once the facility is introduced in one district prison or subjail in a district, the persons under remand from other prisons in the district can also be brought to the prison for videoconferencing.The expense of bringing a prisoner to court is high. "Normally, every day around Rs 20,000 is spent as bus fare in a subjail to take the prisoners to court. Two civil police officers have to accompany them to court when shortage of staff in police department is so grave that we are not even getting enough persons for traffic duty. The expenses further increase if the prisoner has to be taken to courts in other districts. And also the risk of a prisoner trying to escape is very high," a superintendent of one of the subjails, who prefers anonymity, told ExpressThe facility is being implemented in more jails as part of the prisons modernisation project.Of the total expense of Rs 166 crore, Rs154 crore is a grant from the Centre and the rest from the Planning Commission.The modernisation process is expected to be completed within five years.