Mumbai: Smart Card telephones installed at Byculla jail

The service will soon also be made available in Thane and Taloja jails

To bridge the communication gap between the inmates lodged in jail and their relatives and lawyers, the Maharashtra Prison Department has started installing Smart Card Telephones in the city's prisons. The facility was installed at the Byculla District Jail, which also houses the Mumbai District Women's jail. Sources from the jail said that this facility will also soon be installed at the Kalyan, Thane and Taloja jails.

Yogesh Desai, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Prisons, said, "Every inmate in the jail will be provided with the smart card. The smart card will be registered in the inmate's name, and the three mobile numbers of relatives and advocates will be registered. The numbers will be saved as 1, 2 and 3. If he inserts the card in the telephone and presses 1, then the number saved against it will be dialled accordingly," said Desai.

He added, "Every week, an inmate is allowed six minutes call time. He can't call any other numbers. Usually, due to the communication gap, the inmates don't get any updates about their hearings, or know any good or bad news about their family. It will also help lessen the stress of the inmates, who get depressed if they don't hear from their family," added Desai. This facility will be availed by 378 male inmates, 372 female inmates and one transgender.