Kolkata | The signage atop 'Nabanna', the West Bengal government's secretariat building, has been repainted in saffron, replacing the earlier blue colour, in the latest visual change under the BJP government.
The change became visible on Monday morning when the illuminated 'Nabanna' signage on the 14-storey administrative headquarters in Howrah was seen in saffron instead of blue. The building itself, however, retains its blue-and-white colour exterior.
A senior state government official said, "The change in the colour of the signage in Nabanna is part of ongoing maintenance and aesthetic work being undertaken at various government establishments." He said, "There has been no official notification on repainting the entire Nabanna building." No formal announcement has been made regarding comprehensive change in the colour of the state secretariat building, officials said.
The development comes amid a gradual shift in the colour of government properties and public infrastructure in West Bengal following the change in government in the state. Over the past few weeks, several public assets, including government buses and roadside railings at some locations, have been repainted in saffron after the BJP came to power in the state.
The Nabanna auditorium had also undergone a similar colour change earlier, soon after the BJP came to power in the state.
The decorative lighting of the secretariat building and the state government's official website have likewise adopted saffron colour since the new BJP government assumed office.
Blue and white had become the defining colours of government buildings, parks and public infrastructure during the previous Trinamool Congress regime.
After coming to power in 2011, the Mamata Banerjee government shifted the state's administrative headquarters from the historic Writers' Buildings in central Kolkata to Nabanna in Howrah, where the blue-and-white colour scheme was prominently adopted.
However, the Writers' Buildings, which had served as the state's administrative headquarters since the colonial era, retained its traditional red facade even during the previous regime
