Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters is finally scheduled to open the multi-story structure, which also happens to be the Chaplin movie theatre, which is arguably Kolkata’s oldest single-screen movie theatre, after missing multiple construction dates.
The new structure across from its headquarters on SN Banerjee Road, known as Chaplin Bhawan, would house a citizens’ service facility and many civic departments. On Friday, the facility will be officially opened by Mayor Firhad Hakim.
In place of Chaplin, the G+IV building was built on a 12-cottah plot of land. In 2008, the city authorities purchased the hall from the state government with the intention of constructing a centre for citizens’ services. The movie theater’s destruction was initiated by KMC in 2013.
Since departments including the social sector, electrical, highways, and information technology are planned to move to the new location, the civic officials determined that moving agencies to this new facility will relieve strain on the headquarters.
The civic organisation proposes to set aside a whole floor for the citizens’ service centre. This facility will play a key role in removing barriers that individuals confront when they visit the KMC headquarters. “A 6,000-square-foot level will be made available to individuals who frequently come to our headquarters for a variety of vital services. Our inhabitants may be able to access many services through a single window after several departments move into this recently built structure. The top floor now features a state-of-the-art meeting space,” a KMC official stated.
A KMC official stated that the city brass wanted to clear out the civic headquarters while moving a number of departments out of the Hudco building, some of which had structural problems. Currently, the Hudco building houses the municipal tribunals, highways and electrical stations.
After purchasing the Roxy movie theatre, the civic leadership had previously decided to move advertising and parts of the social sector and assessment departments there in order to free up space at the civic headquarters.