KHOTANG, April 6: The inmates of Diktel district prison are earning good money inside the jail, making fabric used for Dhaka topi or caps.
Saroj Rai, one of the jail inmates employed in this fashion, informed that they are able to save Rs. 2,000 to 3, 000 per month through this work. They don't have to go outside the jail to sell their products as the customers come to them . Of late, the district prison has become a popular market for the fabric used for making the Dhaka topi.
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According to chief of the prison Chitrakhar Acharya, the jail authorities been helping to market the finished products. " We usually don't have to go to the market to sell the Dhaka topi as the customers come to us," he said.
Currently, there are 30 inmates in the prison and most of them are making Dhaka topi. Some of them weave Dhaka fabric. One inmate can turn out five to nine Dhaka topi n a month. Some organizations have provided the looms used for weaving the fabric.
The inmates are happy to use their free time doing some skilled work to earn some money. In the beginning, they found it hard to kill time in prison away from their families. But they have gotten used to it after taking up this gainful work. Those serving longer jail sentences are involved in weaving the Dhaka cloth and making bamboo stools.
Three of the inmates are operating a mini-business in wooden stools. Saroj Rai, Jay Giri and Hom Bishwokarma have been making the stools with raw materials brought in from the tarai. Though they have been using local bamboo the used tires and thread come from the tarai. Each bamboo stool is sold for Rs. 400 to Rs.600. These inmates are now able to provide financial support to their families .
