Writers’ Buildings, Calcutta
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
Contents |
Writers’ Buildings, Calcutta
(The civil secretariat of the Government of West Bengal)
Writers’ Buildings set for facelift
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
The Times of India 2013/08/09
WITNESS TO HISTORY
Kolkata: Built in 1777, Writers’ Buildings came up during Warren Hastings’ reign as governor-general and was Kolkata’s first three-storeyed edifice. Designed by Thomas Lyon, it was meant to house clerks of the East India Company, also known as writers. That’s how it got its name
The building, as built by the British, had four clusters—justice, commerce, science and agriculture. After independence, blocks E, F, G and CGA were built
GOVERNMENT’S GRAND PLAN TO RESTORE OLD GLORY
CM Mamata Banerjee had expressed her displeasure over the untidy look of the government departments soon after assuming office in 2011 and described them as ‘ghugur basa’ (den of corruption). On last Wednesday, she reiterated: “Just walk to the rear and you will find these zhopris (shanties). You will be amazed to find the way people are working in the shrinking space. They are also humans … Look at all these cables hanging.”
Mamata Banerjee | CM added, “Writers’ Building has turned into a tinderbox, causing panic among employees. The centuries-old building requires immediate repairs. I want safety of my employees.”
Mamata Banerjee wants to restore the original facade of Writers’ Buildings as it was in 1777.
The CM wants to pull down these 4 new blocks [E, F, G and CGA] and restore the pre-independence look. The idea is to decongest the building and go back to Lyon’s pristine layout by pulling down ungainly annexures and wooden partitions that have turned back ends of VIP spaces into small chambers for bureaucrats
The cost of the renovation is around Rs 200 crore.
The CM has given herself three months for the restoration work to be completed, but conservation architects and restoration experts wondered how the mammoth restoration could be done in such a short time.
Temporary secretariat
Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee is taking her government out of Writers’ Buildings to Mandirtala across Hooghly from October 1. All the departments, including the CMO (Chief Minister’s Office), will operate from the 13-storeyed vacant HRBC building that catches the eye while one crosses the Vidyasagar Setu. The purpose is to renovate the royal edifice and reposition Writers’ to its old glory — the seat of power during the British Raj.
The transfer will be temporary, to make way for the first such renovation of the over 236-year-old building.
The Bengal government had shifted a whole lot of departments to Salt Lake in the recent past.
The future secretariat
The 57 acres of land in Howrah’s Dumurjola stadium will be used to construct a huge secretariat complex for the future. It is with the Howrah Improvement Trust, under the urban development department. CM Banerjee intends setting up a central secretariat for all departments. She said, “People find it difficult to come all the way from Salt Lake or Rajarhat to attend meetings at Writers’ Buildings. We need to enhance the infrastructure.”
