KOLKATA: The new BJP government may operate from the Writers’ Buildings in the heart of Kolkata, instead of Nabanna, where the previous Trinamool Congress used to function from.
BJP's secured a landslide victory by winning 207 out of 294 assembly constituencies in the West Bengal elections.
The swearing-in ceremony of the first-ever BJP government in the state will be held at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of the states ruled by the saffron party.
The new Chief Minister of Bengal and key members of the council of ministers may go to the historic Writers’ Buildings on Saturday after the completion of the oath-taking function.
BJP insiders said the move to shift the secretariat back from Nabanna to Writers’, the red landmark in the heart of Kolkata, was taken considering the sentiment of the people.
“To pay respect to people’s sentiment, the BJP government plans to run the state from the Writers’ Buildings,” they said.
“Many people were hurt when the state secretariat was shifted out of Writers’ Buildings in October 2013, two years after Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, formed the government in Bengal in 2011. It was a tradition to govern the state from this iconic complex at BBD Bag. We want to connect with that sentiment. That is why we want to run the government from Writers’ Buildings,” according to the insiders.
The Mamata government had moved out of the Writers’ Buildings as she felt that Nabanna, located across the Vidyasagar Setu in Howrah, was a ‘lucky’ place to run the state.
Trinamool has bagged all 16 assembly seats in the Howrah district for the past 15 years since 2011.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya reiterated the party’s stand, “We have been saying since 2021 that we will run the government from Writers’ Buildings. I announced this during the election campaign this year as well. But the final decision will be taken by the new chief minister of our party.”
According to the state public works department (PWD) officials, the new government wants to begin functioning from the complex immediately, and that is why, only blocks 1 and 2, housing mainly offices of its several engineering sections, could be made available.
The chief minister’s office was earlier located on the first floor of the main block, which is yet to be fully renovated.
“It is unlikely to be made functional until the entire block is renovated, which could take six months,” the source added.
Writers’ Buildings has been undergoing thorough renovation works since 2013-14. It had around 3 lakh sq ft of workspace before renovations, but with demolitions of two blocks, the space has come down to about 2.5 lakh sq ft.
