With flowers and flags, Kolkata drapes itself in saffron to welcome new govt

KOLKATA: Writers' Buildings and several other govt offices in the city turned orange after dusk on Friday ahead of the inaugural day of the first-ever BJP govt to be sworn into office in Bengal. The illumination trials were held on Friday evening on the eve of the Saturday event.

Sources said the Greco-Roman facade of the Writers', which will serve as the state secretariat once its restoration and renovation is completed, has been decked with thousands of orange rice bulbs. Around 48 buildings, including the Assembly House, Kolkata Collectorate, KMC headquarters and Akashvani Bhavan, will be similarly illuminated with orange lights from 5.30 pm on Saturday.





Many state govt buildings received a blue-and-white makeover after Mamata Banerjee assumed office in 2011, but a few heritage buildings like Writers' and Kolkata Collectorate retained the red and off-white shade.

Inside the Writers' Buildings, where the newly anointed CM Suvendu Adhikari is expected to step in around afternoon after taking oath at Brigade followed by a trip to the Raj Bhavan to complete formalities, work was underway at a frantic pace to complete a makeshift Chief Minister's Office (CMO) for the symbolic visit. The second floor has seen more progress in restoration than the first floor. The space overlooks Dalhousie Square.

Adhikari will thereafter function from the CM's office at the Vidhan Sabha before returning to the Writers' after work on the office is completed.

At present, the CMO is being readied on the second floor as the rooms on the first floor that served as the CMO are yet to be renovated.

Exactly 24 hours before Adhikari steps into the portals of the two-centuries-old building that has served as a power centre since the British Raj and housed prime ministers of undivided Bengal prior to Independence and eight CMs, including Prafulla Chandra Ghosh, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Mamata Banerjee, workers were busy giving finishing touches to the main block on the third floor.

Workers were seen hammering partitions into place, fitting switches, lights and other electrical fixtures, installing 40 misty fans and dozens of high-capacity ACs. A tall chair that appeared to be for the CM and others for prominent cabinet members were carried in. Sources said Adhikari will take the VIP elevator to head straight to the third floor after arriving from Raj Bhavan on Saturday. While this elevator has a capacity of 15, an adjoining lift will also be functional to carry the rest of the staff.

Senior cops did the rounds of the floor and the rest of Writers' on Friday to ensure foolproof security during the high-profile event. The CM may also address the press during his two-hour stay at Writers' on Saturday. Roads in BBD Bag were being repaved and trees pruned ahead of the D-day.

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