Mamata Banerjee’s ‘unsafe’ house up for security upgrade, will get 2 watch towers

The public works department floated a tender earlier this month to erect two towers overlooking the single-storey house. According to the tender document, the project will cost ₹74.02 lakh.

Kolkata Police plans to build two watchtowers near the residence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee to raise the security level of the house where the 63-year-old has lived since her childhood.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is protected by Z-plus security cover but aerial vigil around her house has been missing from the security drill. (PTI file photo)

Opposition parties quickly trained their guns on the Bengal government saying the decision flies in the face of the administration’s claims of peace in the state.

The public works department floated a tender earlier this month to erect two towers overlooking the single-storey house. According to the tender document, the project will cost ₹74.02 lakh. Work is supposed to be completed within three months from the start of construction.

Banerjee is protected by Z-plus security cover but aerial vigil around her house has been missing from the security drill.

“The western side of the chief minister’s residence, along which a canal popularly known as Tolly nullah, is totally unguarded. Surveillance is necessary to ensure her security. The watchtowers will ensure round-the-clock vigil of the entire premises on all sides,” said an official of the home department who did not want to be named.

On the other side of the canal is the Alipore Central Correctional Home.

A part of the house on narrow 30B Harish Chatterjee Street which has tiled roof, has served as one of the symbols of the spartan lifestyle that the Trinamool Congress chief regularly highlights.

The chief minister has an office at her residence where dozens of visitors pour in every day. There is a permanent police picket in front of the house.

Opposition parties were quick to criticise the plan to build the watchtowers.

“Siddhartha Shankar Roy was the chief minister of the state from 1971 and 1977, a period marked by urban terror in the form of Naxalite activity. But he never felt the necessity to install watchtowers at his residence. The current chief minister repeatedly claims that peace prevails in every corner of the state. So what is the necessity of this initiative?” said Congress legislator Manoj Chakraborty.

The BJP took a satirical jab at the Trinamool Congress with the party’s general secretary of the state unit, Sayantan Basu saying that the towers were needed to keep a watch on her own party workers.

“Every day there are headlines about Trinamool workers and leaders being attacked by their own men. Against this backdrop, the government cannot be complacent about the security of the chief minister,” he said.

Leader of the Left parties in the Assembly Sujan Chakraborty said that even after the convoy of former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was targeted by the Maoists in Salboni in West Midnapore district on November 2, 2008, where he had a narrow escape, he did not feel the need to install watchtowers at his residence.

“Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also did not agree to increase the number of security personnel for himself. This proves the difference of priorities between our government and the current government,” Chakraborty claimed.

While Bhattacharjee got Y category security, his successor enjoys Z category. Y category involves security cover of 11 personnel, while Z category involves 22 personnel.

Mamata Banerjee is the eighth chief minister of the state. She was sworn in on May 20, 2011 and retained power in 2016.

Trinamool leaders and ministers were tight-lipped. Repeated calls and text messages to PWD minister Arup Biswas went unanswered.