Now, CCTVs in neta’s rooms at Writers’ Building

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to install CCTV cameras in the ministers’ chambers at Writers’ Buildings. The surveillance order has triggered wonder, amusement and quite a few smirks in the corridors of power.

Officials say the decision was taken at the ‘top level’ to increase security at Writers’. There have been frequent thefts in the administrative headquarters. Computer cartridges are most commonly stolen, and even wall clocks, not to speak of diaries and calendars regularly lifted from chambers of ministers and officials. Recently, a laptop was stolen from the chamber of environment secretary R P S Kahlon although it was in a locked cabinet.

Many corridors of the high security building are already under CCTV cover, but this is the first time that there will be cameras inside ministers’ chambers.

However, many perceive this as a 24×7 watch on the ministers. Who are they meeting? How are they working? Is any of them playing truant? Mamata Banerjee is, after all, a strict taskmaster and cannot tolerate anything but full attention to work.

The surveillance order comes at a time when TMC-Congress ties are going through a rough patch, and Congress ministers are especially under the scanner. PWD officials are secretive about the CCTV proposal. PWD minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar refused to comment but a senior official confirmed that the project was being discussed.

Commerce and industries minister Partha Chatterjee said he didn’t know about this. “I am not aware. But yes, some people were talking,” Chatterjee said.

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