Writers' Building set for partial revival after thirteen years; Minister takes stock of renovation works

New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- After a gap of 13 years, Writers' Building is set for a partial revival, with the state government setting an October deadline to ready offices for Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, a few ministers and senior bureaucrats at the 250-year-old secretariat. The state secretariat shifted to Nabanna in October 2013.

PWD Minister Ajay Poddar held a review meeting on Saturday to take stock of the ongoing work at the historic secretariat, which was also associated with the freedom movement.

Adani Group head Gautam Adani may visit Writers' Buildings on September 24 as the group is keen to undertake restoration of the secretariat as part of its CSR initiative, with a proposed investment of around Rs 120 crore.

The government is also considering handing over the comprehensive restoration of Writers' Buildings to the Adani Group. Sources said discussions are underway and a final decision is awaited. The group has assigned architect and former West Bengal Heritage Commission member Ranjan Mitra to prepare a renovation plan.

PWD officials said pending infrastructure work was being expedited to meet the October deadline. The chief minister's secretariat is almost ready, while separate offices are also being prepared for the chief secretary and the director general of police.

Ministers expected to have offices at Writers' include PWD minister Poddar, Dilip Ghosh (Panchayat), Shankar Ghosh (Tourism), Sharadwat Mukherjee (Health) and Agnimitra Paul (Industry).

However, the phased return will not mean a full restoration of the sprawling colonial-era complex. Officials said the Cabinet Room and the Rotunda are not part of the current renovation exercise.

The restoration poses a challenge of balancing modern administrative requirements with the heritage character of one of Bengal's iconic government buildings. PWD officials said several original architectural features, including European tiles, were damaged or lost during earlier renovation attempts.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.