TN to close 14 sub-jails for good, including special camp in Cheyyar
Sources in the department said five of the 14 temporarily closed sub-jails during the 2013-20 period were shut down, including the Cheyyar special sub-jail
CHENNAI: Fourteen sub-jails across the State will be closed for good, including the one at Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai, which has been functioning as a special camp for refugees since March 2014. The government order, slashing sub-jails from 96 to 82, says resources will be reallocated to nearby sub-jails and district jails.
Sources in the department said five of the 14 temporarily closed sub-jails during the 2013-20 period were shut down, including the Cheyyar special sub-jail. This facility was declared a special camp following a directive from the Home department to house Sri Lankan Tamils detained under the Passport Act for overstaying and involvement in criminal activities. It was handed over to the Revenue department on March 20, 2014 and has since been monitored by the Q Branch.
The department has now identified sub-jails in Rasipuram and Paramathi Velur (Namakkal), Manaparai and Musiri (Tiruchy), and Madurantakam (Chengalpattu), along with nine other dormant facilities, for closure. However, the government has rejected the proposal to shut down sub-jails in Tiruvidaimaruthur (Thanjavur), Cuddalore, Tiruttani (Tiruvallur), and Polur (Tiruvannamalai).
The decision was made based on a recommendation by the DGP, Prisons and Correctional Services, Maheshwar Dayal, stated Additional Chief Secretary Dheeraj Kumar in the GO.
"It is purely for administrative reasons, as we can divert manpower from these facilities to sub-jails, district and central prisons in need," said a senior official. He said each sub-jail has a sanctioned strength of 13 personnel — one assistant jailer, two chief head warders, two head warders, six grade II warders, one cook, and one scavenger.
While inmates will be transferred to the nearest central, district, or sub-jails, stocks of civil supplies, arms and ammunition will be moved to the respective central prisons that oversee these facilities. "The land and buildings will be handed over to the Revenue department," the official added.
