Bengal secretariat becomes TMC office

At a time when several departments of the state government are being shifted out of Writers Building, the state secretariat, political functionaries, particularly top level Trinamool Congress leaders are being allotted office space in the building.  

Recently, the Public Works Department (PWD), following a cabinet decision to “de-congest” Writers Building, issued a notice directing six departments to move out of the state headquarters by June 30.

The departments asked to vacate are, Forest, Environment, Child Development, Social Welfare, Public Enterprise and Animal Resource Development.

“The decision was taken with the chief minister’s approval because the rooms at Writers have had to be partitioned to accommodate two or three secretaries and even ministers of state. It is so congested that basic fire safety is hampered. Wires get tangled because of lack of space,” said a senior Public Works Department official.

“The building is so congested and there is no space for any new comer,” said the official.    

Place for Mukul Roy

But surprisingly, the department is making arrangements for accommodating All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) general secretary Mukul Roy in the secretariat. Roy, though not an elected member, will be allotted a room in the capacity of being the adviser to the transport department.

This post was created by Mamata Banerjee to utilise the experience of former Union minister in the development of the state.

Transport Minister Madan Mitra has urged the Public Works Department Minister
Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar to allot a chamber to Roy in Writers Buildings.

Roy is the second non-minister and party functionary to be allotted a chamber after Subrata Bakshi, who after resigning as a minister enjoys an chamber by virtue of being the chairman of the West Bengal State Highway Development Corporation.

Writers Building originally was some mud shanties at Dalhousie Square, home to several junior writers employed by the East India Company which was later handed over to build quarters for the accommodation of junior servants of the company.
Though completed in 1780, the company, annoyed by their unruly ways, asked the writers to find their own quarters and Lt-Governor Ashley Eden made it the seat of the government.