The newly built Khulna District Jail was inaugurated on Saturday with 100 convicted prisoners, who were transferred from the old Khulna Jail.

The inmates were brought to the new facility under tight security and were welcomed with flowers upon arrival.

Khulna Divisional Prisons Department’s Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (DIG Prison) Md Monir Ahmed, Khulna District Prison Jail Superintendent Nasir Uddin Pradhan, Deputy Jail Superintendent Abdullah Hal Al Amin, Muhammad Munir of the district, and other senior officials were present at the inauguration.

Jail Superintendent Nasir Uddin Pradhan said the long wait had ended with the transfer of the first 100 prisoners. “Since it is a new prison, there may be many challenges. These 100 convicts are part of the initial stage. We will monitor the issues they may face,” he added.

The new prison features paved roads, colourful buildings, tiled sidewalks, parking areas, a mosque, and a hospital. Each building has a separate boundary wall to prevent interaction between different categories of prisoners. A total of 57 structures have been built, including 11 buildings specifically for inmates. A five-kilometre-long internal wall has been constructed to strengthen security.

The gallows, located in the southwest corner of the prison, is made of grey tin sheets and corrugated iron roofs, and authorities claim it is the most modern in the country.

The prison complex, built on 30 acres along Khulna City Bypass (Rupsa Bridge Road), was originally approved in 2011 by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) with a budget of Tk 144 crore and a deadline of June 2016.

After multiple extensions and two budget revisions, the project cost rose to Tk 288 crore.

Although the jail has a capacity for 4,000 prisoners, the current infrastructure can accommodate 2,000.