MADURAI: A new fuel station set up by the central prison in Madurai on New Jail Road, is ready for inauguration.

The new facility named ‘Freedom Filling Station’ (A unit of Tamil Nadu Prisons Department) is set up on a 35-cent site of near the prison. This is one of the six fuel stations in the second phase of development activities by the prison department. As many as 45 inmates of the prison have been trained to handle the fuel station, which will be operational round the clock, sources said on Wednesday.

Five other cities with similar fuel stations are Coimbatore, Salem, Puzhal and two such in Tiruchy. Under the first phase, 5 fuel stations were established in Vellore, Palayamkottai, Puzhal, Coimbatore, and Pudukottai. The fuel stations operated by the prisons department are functioning well and Palayamkottai tops the list.

“Daily average revenue at Palayamkottai fuel station is around Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh,” sources said.

Moreover, ‘Freedom Bazaar’ opened by authorities at entral prison in Madurai on April 26, has been getting a good response from the public. Several products made by inmates such as shoes from Vellore, police caps and police lathis from Cuddalore, and textiles including police uniform sets and bed sheets from Coimbatore, garments readied in Madurai, ‘Tiruneveli halwa’ from Palayamkottai and other food-related items are being sold at reasonable prices through the bazaar.