{
  "id": 8690610,
  "title": "After 13 years, Writers’ Building will again host Bengal ministers’ offices",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/after-13-years-writers-building-will-again-host-bengal-ministers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T13:04:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/after-13-years-writers-building-to-host-bengal-ministers-offices-again-10886368/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After nearly 13 years, the Writers' Building, a nearly 250-year-old secretariat in West Bengal, will once again be home to the offices of Bengal ministers. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and five other ministers are expected to relocate their offices to the second floor of the historic building. According to sources, the Adani group may undertake a Rs 120-crore restoration project at the Writers' Building under a corporate social responsibility initiative. Discussions between the government and the group are currently underway.\n\nIn October 2013, the state secretariat was moved from the Writers' Building to Nabanna, but several departments have continued to operate from the building, including parts of the home and hill affairs, agriculture, PWD, law and judicial, and parliamentary affairs. The Writers' Building, originally built in 1777 as an office for the East India Company's junior clerks, housed 34 departments and around 6,000 employees between 1937 and 1947. It has been the West Bengal secretariat since 1947.",
  "summary": "After 13 years of functioning elsewhere, the Writers' Building in West Bengal is set to once again serve as the central hub for the state's ministers. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and five other ministers, including PWD Minister Ajay Poddar, Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh, Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh, Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee, and Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul, are expected to move their offices to the second floor of the nearly 250-year-old building. The restoration of the Writers' Building is being considered by the Adani group under a corporate social responsibility initiative, with a budget of Rs 120 crores. The building, which has been the state secretariat since 2013, has a rich history dating back to 1777 when it was initially constructed for the East India Company's clerks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}