The Entire Writers' Building is Being Sold! Who is Buying It? A Big Question Arises

How far has the restoration work of this nearly 250-year-old building progressed? Will Mamata Banerjee ever return to operate her office from there?  

The Entire Writers' Building is Being Sold! Who is Buying It?

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The name Writers' Building is intertwined with much of Kolkata’s history. This red building, a reminder of the past, still stands tall in the heart of the city. Once the main administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government, it hosted many prominent figures over time. Leaders like Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ran the state from this building. However, after Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister, the state’s administrative offices moved to *Nabanna*. There were plans to renovate and restore the Writers' Building, but questions are now being raised about its fate, especially by BJP leader Arjun Singh.  

It has been nearly 11 years since Mamata left the Writers' Building. Currently, she works from the 14th floor of Nabanna. Restoration work had commenced at Writers' Building after the administrative offices were relocated.  

Arjun Singh has questioned the progress of this heritage building’s restoration. He claims it might even be sold off. His concerns extend beyond the Writers' Building to the Alipore Jail, which he suspects may also face a similar fate.  

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Arjun Singh said, “It’s been 11 years, and the Writers' Building has still not been restored. Work has been halted for the past one and a half years.” He further asked, “Is there a conspiracy to sell off this property? To whom will it be given? To Goenka or Neotia?” According to him, while parts of the building were dismantled in the name of restoration, work has since stopped entirely.  

Raising questions about the Alipore Jail, Singh added, “The Alipore Central Jail has already been sold. The land was sold, and the jail was relocated to Baruipur. Who bought that land?”  

As of the time of writing this report, no response has been received from the Trinamool Congress on these allegations.