Broken shelves, unsold goods: Tihar Jail's retail dream clings on to hopes

At Tihar Haat, partially broken, mostly empty wooden shelves have only a few cookie packets, some of which are torn.

- Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI: A fine layer of dust sits uniformly on the countable, scattered furniture pieces on display at another store.

Similar is the state of seven other Tihar administration outlets called "TJ's" — once a vibrant initiative which showcases products made by inmates of Tihar Jail.

When it first opened over a decade ago, Tihar Haat outlets drew attention, and praise, as they were a visual representation of the reforms that inmates undergo.

While it was run by the prison administration, the goods were handmade by its inmates. Its stores in city courts and a few others near Tihar prison and Pusa Road sold cookies, oils, spices and even furniture.