Kolkata: Suvendu Adhikari, the first chief minister of a BJP government in West Bengal, may soon change his Kolkata address from his Chinar Park flat to the Soujanya complex in Alipore. Sources indicated on Sunday that the electrical wing of the state Public Works Department (PWD) is actively considering whether Soujanya can be used as the temporary residence of Chief Minister Adhikari along with his office.
Security Assessment Underway
Besides PWD officials who inspected the building, senior officers of Kolkata Police, led by Joint CP Rupesh Kumar, also visited the building on Sunday. Sources indicated that cops, along with the directorate of security, are studying the security angle of the building, which was built precisely to house chief ministers and other VVIPs. The final decision on this shift, though, is still awaited, insisted senior state officials and top police sources. Adhikari's office has not commented officially.
Building History and Features
Built at a cost exceeding Rs 180 crore during the previous Trinamool Congress government, the palatial structure was inaugurated in 2018 by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but has been lying mostly unused since completion. Soujanya, located on Judges Court Road near Hastings House, spans 1 lakh square feet with a grand G+2 architecture featuring a central dome topped by a globe that the then government claimed symbolised "Biswa Bangla." It is located within the Bhowanipore constituency, which Adhikari won by defeating Banerjee.
The building was conceived in 2014 as a VVIP convention centre akin to Delhi's Hyderabad House, designed for high-level meetings, including with foreign dignitaries. The ground floor houses a banquet hall and a media centre for press conferences, while an underground parking lot accommodates up to 40 cars.
Current Residence and Ancestral Home
Adhikari's ancestral home, Shantikunj in Contai in East Midnapore, where his parents and family reside, has seen Adhikari insisting on not having any barriers so that commoners are not inconvenienced. Even though security at his Chinar Park flat has seen an upgrade, security requirements might lead him to search for a more centralised address.
Strategic Location
Incidentally, Soujanya is located less than 2 km from Banerjee's Kalighat residence, and if Adhikari decides to shift, it will symbolise that the power centre of the state remains in Bhowanipore. The chief secretary and the DGP's residence are barely within a 1 km radius of Soujanya.
