Maoist leader turns Odisha jail into a green zone
Udaya Pulari Ramarao alias Shyam, a Maoist leader presently lodged in Odisha’s Nayagarh Subjail after being sentenced for life in connection with the 2008 killing of Hindu seer Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati has turned the five-acre prison campus green with his magical skill and expertise in horticulture activities.
Along with his close friend Prakash Behera, another prisoner who also serves a life sentence on a murder case and a few other inmates; the rebel leader has been producing a huge volume of vegetables and flowers that not only help the jail authorities meet the nutritional requirement of the inmates but also fetch good sums of remuneration
for the prisoners.
Son of P. Lachaya of Pedalimbugaon under Mandasa police limits in
Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, the 40-year-old Udaya, who is also facing the charges of attack on Nayagarah Police Training School (PTC) and loot of police armoury in the same town on February 17 night in 2008, has completely metamorphosed into a seasoned farmer, earning praises from the jail authorities.
“Udaya’s behavior is extremely good. He wakes up in the morning and leads the other inmates in horticultural activities. Because of good their efforts, we are getting nearly 40 kilograms of vegetables. Such a huge volume of vegetables is sufficient to meet our daily requirement. Besides horticultural crops, Udaya is also a master in floriculture,” said Umesh Chandra Balabantaray, superintendent of Nayagarh Sub-Jail.