- From the 26th of January, the Maharashtra government will be flagging off ‘jail tourism’ in the state
- To enter the premises, school pupils will need to pay a fee of ₹5, college goers will have to shell out ₹10 and general tourists will have to pay up ₹50
- To pay a visit, tourists will need to contact the Superintendent of Yerawada Jail or ADG prisons and visitors will need to carry Aadhaar cards, ID cards of theit institution or passports
THoD Newsdesk, Nagpur: From the 26th of January, the Maharashtra government will be flagging off ‘jail tourism’ in the state, starting from Pune’s Yerawada prison. Erected in 1871 by the British, Yerwada Central Jail is one of the largest prisons in South Asia.
Speaking at a press conference earlier, the State Home Minister was quoted saying, “The famous Yerwada jail has cells where many stalwarts of the Indian freedom struggle were imprisoned. They include Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Sarojini Naidu and Motilal Nehru among others. It also has a tree below which the Poona Pact was signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Similarly, this is the jail where (revolutionaries) the Chaphekar brothers were hanged to death. Also to hang here were Sukha and Jinda, killers of General VK Vaidya and (Pakistani terrorist) Ajmal Kasab. The state government has decided to start jail tourism from Yerwada jail on January 26 with the view to let people see the place.”
With the inauguration of this jail tourism project by the state CM on Tuesday, Maharashtra will be the first state in India to do so and it will be followed by the second phase in Nagpur, Thane and Ratnagiri. Since many freedom fighters, inclusive of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarojini Naidu, Subhas Chandra Bose amidst others have been the residents of this prison, this venture will act as a tribute to them. The state Home Minister added that it would be a novel experience for citizens, students, and history scholars to learn more about its historical values. According to a government notification, issued by Additional Director General of Prisons, a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been chalked down for the initiative.
To enter the premises, school pupils will need to pay a fee of ₹5, college goers will have to shell out ₹10 and general tourists will have to pay up ₹50. Further in a statement, the Maharashtra government officials stated that a tourism guide will be provided to the tourists and the total number of tourists per day won’t be allowed to go beyond 50. To pay a visit, tourists will need to contact the Superintendent of Yerawada Jail or ADG prisons and visitors will need to carry Aadhaar cards, ID cards of theit institution or passports. Individuals will not be allowed to carry baggage, eatables, water bottles, mobile phones, and cameras inside the jail.
