The 185-year-old Byculla District Jail in Mumbai, one of the oldest prison in Maharashtra, has undergone a major infrastructure upgrade with the inauguration of a modern kitchen and newly built sections on Friday.
The move is aimed at improving living conditions for nearly 1,000 inmates, including women and young children lodged in the Byculla and adjoining Mumbai District Women’s Jail.
Funds sanctioned under the District Annual Plan for 2023–24 were utilised to construct a new kitchen, store room and gas cylinder room, along with the purchase of modern modular kitchen equipment, including a cold storage facility. Jail officials said the upgrades would replace the outdated, traditional cooking system that had long posed difficulties for both inmates and staff.
“The new set-up will make food preparation faster, more hygienic and healthier,” an officer said, adding that the initiative would directly benefit inmates as well as children under six years of age who live in the prison with their mothers.
In another reform-oriented step, six separate cells have been constructed on the premises to house transgender inmates and prisoners with medical needs. This, officials said, was designed to address longstanding gaps in prison accommodation.
The new facilities were inaugurated by Additional Director General of Police and Inspector General of Prisons, Shri Suhas Warke. Special Inspector General of Prisons, Shri Yogesh Desai, attended as the chief guest, while Mumbai Central Jail Superintendent, Shri Harshad Ahirrao, was also present. The event was attended by several senior officials, including engineers from the Public Works Department, senior prison staff and administrative officers, along with inmates who witnessed the inauguration.
Byculla Jail, built in 1840, has often been in the spotlight for its overcrowding and colonial-era facilities. The new additions are seen as part of a broader effort to modernise Maharashtra’s prison infrastructure and introduce reforms aimed at inmate welfare.
