Small Traders Hopeful as Bengal Government Plans Return to Writers’ Buildings

PTI, May 11, 2026, Kolkata: The decision of the new West Bengal government to function from the Writers’ Buildings has renewed hope among small traders around the BBD Bag area here, as their livelihoods suffered since the state secretariat was shifted to ‘Nabanna’ 13 years ago.

Owners of tea stalls and small eateries, fruit vendors and traders in the surroundings of the nearly 250-year-old Writers’ Buildings said the return of government employees and visitors is expected to boost their businesses.

“We barely had time to sit when the state government functioned from here. Government employees, security personnel, lawyers and office-goers visited our stall from morning to evening,” said Prabir Saha, a tea stall owner in the BBD Bag area in central Kolkata.

After the secretariat was shifted, sales dropped drastically within months, and many nearby stalls shut down completely, he said, while elaborating on how small businesses suffered in the area.

Several traders recalled how the BBD Bag area once remained bustling throughout the day because of the movement of thousands of government staff and visitors to the Writers’ Buildings, which served as the state secretariat since Independence till 2013, when the Mamata Banerjee-led government shifted the office to ‘Nabanna’ in Howrah on the other side of the Hooghly river.

Rina Shaw, who runs a small fast-food counter near BBD Bag, said small businesses faced uncertainty after ‘Nabanna’ became the administrative hub.

“Earlier, we employed six people. Now only my husband and I manage the shop. There were days when we could not even recover the cost of raw materials. If offices return here, this entire area will come alive again,” she added.

Owners of xerox and stationery shops said the impact of the shift was immediate and severe because government-related paperwork formed the backbone of their earnings.

“Applications, affidavits, office documents, identity proofs — everything used to be photocopied here,” said Sanjay Gupta, who runs a xerox centre near the Writers’ Buildings.

“After 2013, customers almost vanished. Around seven or eight xerox shops in this stretch closed within a few years because they could not pay rent and electricity bills,” Yogendra, another photocopy stall owner, stated.