Mamata Banerjee moves to Howrah's HRBC from Writers' Buildings

KOLKATA: For the first time since independence West Bengal government on Saturday formally shifted it's state headquarters from the historic Writers' Building to the new 15-storey HRBC building across the Hooghly river in Howrah district.

After arriving at the new building, painted blue and white and named 'Nabanna', Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unfurled the national flag. Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra,Home secretary Basudeb Banerjee and ministers were present among others during the inauguration.

The shifting is done temporarily to facilitate renovation of the Writers' Buildings constructed in 1706.

Eleven government departments (mostly under the Chief Minister) -- CMO, Police Directorate, Home, Information and Cultural Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Minority Affairs, Land and Land Reforms are housed in the new building besides Finance, Agriculture, Disaster Management and the PWD.

The Kolkata Police would look after the internal security of the building and the Howrah police would assist the Kolkata Police to run the security ring around the new state headquarters.

State PWD Minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar informed that the renovation of Writers' Buildings under direct supervision of the Chief Minister would be of international standard. Reports said the renovation could cost the state government over Rs 200 crore.

Writers' Buildings was constructed nearly three centuries ago for 'writers' or clerks of the British East India Company which gave the building its name.