THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Operation Toofan, the UDF government’s flagship anti-drug campaign, is gaining strength with each passing day. With nearly 10,000 arrests since its inception on June 2, the drive has managed to dent drug supply networks and earn applause.
The intensified crackdown has, however, thrown up a few challenges for the state’s prisons, which are already facing space and staff-related constraints.
According to the government data, 1,005 people were remanded in judicial custody and sent to jails between June 2 and July 23 in cases registered under Toofan. Official statistics reveal that Kerala’s prisons house 9,979 inmates in the space meant to accommodate 7,416. Authorities are now scrambling to accommodate those arriving after being implicated in drug cases.
“Barring a few, prisons in the state are always overcrowded. With hundreds of people being brought each month, managing the prisons is getting tough. That is not to say things are getting out of hand. We are in control, but yes, we have some issues,” a prisons official told TNIE.
The problem is especially severe in jails in Thiruvananthpuram zone. The Poojappura central prison houses 1,580 inmates in the space meant for 727 prisoners. Other central prisons are also overcrowded – Kannur has 1,020 inmates against the sanctioned space for 948 inmates, while Thavanur has 747 prisoners in a space meant for 568 people. But none is hit as bad as the prisons in Thiruvananthapuram zone.
“Construction of new prisons is the only way out,” said a retired officer of the Kerala prisons and correctional services department. “Prisoners can be shifted to jails having space as temporary step. However, that won’t be enough. Permanent prison facilities have to be set up to handle the rise in the number of inmates,” the retired officer said.