Work on Writers’ Buildings yet to start

The Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to begin the restoration of Writers’ Buildings even after two years of receiving the working plan from the department of architecture of Jadavpur University (JU).

“We had completed the work assigned to us and submitted the work plan in July 2015. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too had a look at the presentation and was pleased with the work. It is now up to the PWD to take things ahead,” said Professor Madhumita Roy, head of the department of JU’s architecture department.

A committee comprising Malay Kumar De, state Chief Secretary; Atri Bhattacharya, Home Secretary; HK Dwivedi, Principal Secretary, Finance and Indevar Pandey, Principal Secretary, PWD had been put up to oversee the execution of the plan. When called, Bhattacharya said Pandey would be the best person to talk to but he was not available for a comment.

Sources at the PWD said that the work had been stalled owing to paucity of fund and also expressed the escalation of cost owing to the delay. “Initially the cost of renovation was estimated at Rs 200 crore in 2013 but there will definitely be an escalation in charges. That will depend upon how the PWD wanted the decor …read more