State Secretariat Set to Return to Historic Landmark in Kolkata

The iconic Writers’ Building, one of the most historically significant administrative landmarks in West Bengal, is expected to once again become the permanent state secretariat following a political decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party that its chief minister would not function from Nabanna.

According to senior state government officials, the nearly 250-year-old colonial-era structure in central Kolkata is set to formally reclaim its earlier status as the administrative headquarters of the state government.

Writers’ Buildings holds a prominent place in Bengal’s political and historical legacy. During British rule, the building served as the administrative nerve centre of the colonial government and later functioned as the state secretariat under several Congress and CPI(M) administrations.

The building is also remembered for the historic armed attack carried out by Indian freedom fighters during the independence movement against British officials stationed there.

After Mamata Banerjee and the All India Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the Chief Minister’s Office initially operated from Writers’ Buildings for a brief period. However, the administration later shifted to Nabanna in 2013.

Nabanna, a 14-storey building located in Shibpur, Howrah, was originally constructed for a project of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners before being transformed into the state’s administrative headquarters.

Officials believe the proposed return to Writers’ Buildings could symbolically reconnect the government with Bengal’s administrative and political heritage while also restoring the importance of one of Kolkata’s most recognised heritage structures.