Will red Writers' give Mamata the blues?

Apart from the political battles, it witnessed a battle of bullets when the Indian revolutionary trio of Benoy (Basu), Badal (Gupta) and Dinesh (Gupta) shot dead N.S. Simpson - the brutal and oppressive Inspector General of Prisons, inside the secretariat building on December 8, 1930. It's in honour of the trio that the area where Writers' stands is named BBD Bag.



"Designed by Thomas Lyon, Writers' was constructed on behalf of Richard Barwell, a council member during Warren Hastings tenure as governor general. The property remained in private hands till 1854 when the Company officially bought it," noted Kolkata chronicler P.T. Nair said.

Nair, who has penned over 50 books on the city, said the secretariat was created during the 1870s after the British felt the need for a one-stop administrative centre.

"Because of its centralised location with other important offices close by, the British ruled the country from Writers' for years".

Describing it as one of the city's strongest buildings, Nair said a reddish customised emulsion was used to bind the red bricks which eventually gave the structure its trademark colour.

Like many others, Nair too is not happy with the decision to shift the secretariat.

"I've never heard of any instance in modern times of an entire secretariat being shifted to another city to accommodate repairs. Is it practicable? I doubt," Nair told IANS.