Khulna Bureau
Khulna modern District Prison was going to be built without keeping any sewerage system for draining off sewage from the prison. After completion of 50 % construction work of the district prison, the authorities concerned came to the senses that there was no system to discharge any sewage from the prison. As a result, different portions of the huge establishment are needed to be changed, and at the same time an LGP Plant is also needed to be set up. That is why the authorities have decided to acquire land for this purpose anew. But to implement this new decision, more expenditure will be involved and more length of time will be needed.
However, the construction work of this modern prison started on 30 acres of land at the Asankhali Mouza of Chak Mothurabak in Domuria upazila beside the Rupsa Bypass Road of Khulna in December ,2016. The construction work was hampered from the very beginning and was progressing very slowly due to earth filling, revision of the DPP, change of site and plan. But the construction work of three barracks for the accused, the surrounding wall around the prison area, and 11 buildings of which 6 separate ones are for the prison guards is going on. Just when the construction work of the entire project was going to be finished in June of the current year by the 18 contract Construction firms, the concerned authorities of the project came to know that there was no sewerage to drain off the sewage of the prison.
Sheik Ashraf Secretary-General of Khulna Development Struggle Coordination Committee, in this regard said, “It is a lack of foresightedness to make such a mega project without including the sewerage to drain off sewage from the prison.”
And Abdulla Al Masum, executive engineer of Khulna Public Works Division 2 said, “When the DPP was first prepared it was prepared in a different way. But while the work was going on, some innovative ideas came into our heads and we had to add some new items to the main project. So, project outlay will increase.”
Khulna District Prison was built on the bank of the Bhairab River in 1912. This prison could accommodate in total 608 prisoners of which male590, and female 18. But at present there are over two thousand prisoners and detainees there. In addition, the entire prison has been risky and has many other problems. In the circumstances, the project for the construction of Khulna District Prison was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in 2011. In this regard acquisition of land began in 2014. In 2016 the masterplan was final where the project cost estimated at Tk.251 crore. The project launched it construction from 2017, with its completion period June,2019.
This new prison will have a capacity for holding 2000 detainees, separate space for under trial prisoners, and convicts , motivation centres, hospitals for men and women of 50 beds, library, facilities for entertainment, prayer halls and visitors’ rooms.
