Will red Writers' give Mamata the blues?

While the septuagenarian is not opposed to the proposed repairs, he has one apprehension: "Hope they don't paint it blue and white", referring to the Banerjee administration's penchant for daubing government structures in the chief minister's favourite colours.



Though the fire and the disaster management departments have been recommending urgent overhauling, Banerjee's announcement has seemingly caught many unaware.

The PWD department is still "in the process of consulting experts" and "preparing a detailed map for the proposed reconstruction".

"We will then make a presentation to the chief minister," the PWD official said.

Questions are also being raised over efficacy of the exercise.

"For such a work, it is essential to have a panel of experts and a detailed restoration roadmap. It is important that people entrusted are aware of the consequences of their actions and the value of the building. Otherwise, it becomes difficult," Santosh Ghosh president, Centre for Built Environment - a forum of architectural experts, designers and planners - told IANS.

To which PWD Minister Sudarshan Ghosh-Dastidar said experts from the Jadavpur and Bengal Engineering and Science universities would be involved. There is no official word on how much the restoration would cost but some experts put the figure at Rs.200 crore.