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When it was built in 1777, the Writers' Building was meant to be an office accommodation to the erstwhile East India Company staff. For most part of its existence, it has been the seat of power, be it office of lieutenant-governor of Bengal during the British rule or that of West Bengal chief minister now.
After over two centuries' of service to the rulers of the country, the historic building, which was also the first three-storey structure in the city, is set to get a complete makeover by its current custodian, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
To carry out the renovation work, the CM's office may temporarily be shifted out of the state secretariat in the coming months. 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). In fact, the state secretariat went through a face-lift exercise with fresh painting and some temporary decoration with flowers in May last year ahead of the visit of Hillary Clinton, then US secretary of state.
This time, the CM has given an in-principle approval to carry out major renovation work. "The PWD has been asked to give a detailed plan for the renovation work with the estimated cost for the same, within a month," said an official. The government is also likely to rope in an external agency for the work.
Banerjee had held a meeting with chief secretary, home secretary, and PWD secretary last Thursday. In the meeting, a presentation on the renovation work prepared by the PWD was shown. The idea is to do away with numerous small cabins and cubicles of the building and replace them with spacious rooms equipped with modern facilities.
In the renovated structure, Writers' Building would only host 11 key government ministries such as Home, Finance, Industry, Land. Currently, there are 38-odd government departments in the building.
The process has started. The fisheries department has already shifted out of the building. Four other departments - environment, animal resource development, Paschimanchal Unnayan Parshad Area, and public enterprise - are being shifted to various government buildings across the city.
Also on the cards are an auditorium and conference halls inside the Writers' Building.
If the plan materialises, this will be first major renovation of the historic building in a long time. In early 19th century, structural changes such as addition of 128-ft long balcony in front of the building were made as the building was used to serve as the campus for Fort William College, which trained writers in Oriental languages. Decades later, it embraced the familiar Greco-Roman look with red surface of exposed brick cropping up at various points of time.
