Maoist leader Uday turns Odisha’s Nayagarh Sub-Jail transforms into a green zone
By A K Sahoo and Kishore Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 26: It’s surely an inspiring piece of news of transformation – transformation of a hardcore Maoist leader to a humble human being.
Udaya Pulari Ramarao alias Shyam, a Maoist leader presently lodged in Odisha’s Nayagarh Sub-jail 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.
The jail superintendent said the inmates were producing the best quality of roses and other varieties of flowers.
While Udaya has been convicted and sentenced life term in 2008 Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case, he is still facing trial in Nayagarh PTC attack and police armoury loot incident.
As many as 14 persons, including 13 police personnel and a civilian, were killed in the PTC attack and police armoury loot case.
Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was killed on August 23 night in 2008 by a group of Maoists. Udaya, as the court proceedings, was part of the said Maoist group.
