Electric fence at Puzhal prison dead for three years, power to be restored with AC

Fence Issue

The solar‑powered electric fence along the perimeter of Puzhal Central Prison has been non‑functional for three years, officials said. The fence stopped working after the annual maintenance contract lapsed, and heavy rains later confirmed no power was reaching it. A Nepalese inmate used the dead fence to climb the wall and escape, but he was recaptured. A senior prison department official told The Hindu that power will be restored using an alternating‑current (AC) supply, similar to other central prisons. Puzhal prison, spread over 212 acres, houses Central Prison‑I for convicts, Central Prison‑II for remand prisoners and a special women’s prison; it was built by the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation and inaugurated in 2006.

Out‑Gang Suspension

The Tamil Nadu Prison Department has halted out‑gang duties that sent about 100 convicts to manage fuel stations and prison bazaar stores near 11 central prisons. Additional Director‑General of Police, Prisons K. Shankar said the move is a temporary safety precaution after the recent jailbreak in Theni, where 17 inmates overpowered warders and fled before being recaptured. The convicts will no longer work at Indian Oil‑run fuel stations, though the stations will stay open under the corporation’s staff. Shankar took charge a few days earlier after DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore was transferred following the Theni incident, which saw police deploy drones over forest areas in Tamil Nadu and neighboring Kerala.

Context

Electric fences are a common security layer in Indian prisons, but they require regular maintenance to stay active. The suspension of out‑gang duties reflects broader concerns about inmate supervision after high‑profile escapes.