Old property deeds, priceless photographs, sketches, precious stones, gold medals recovered from colonial-era warehouse that has remained unopened for decades
A war-plane landing at Kolkata’s Eden Garden during the years of World War I, women participating in a cremation at city’s Keoratala crematorium, water bodies surrounding Calcutta High Court, a bridge on river Hooghly predating the iconic Howrah Bridge and hundreds of such never seen photographs and sketches have recently been discovered from an old warehouse in Kolkata.
The warehouse of the Office of the Administrator General and Official Trustee, West Bengal, which was lying in neglect, had not only revealed priceless images but also pieces of gold, silver and precious jewels. “We have recovered photographs, sketches and other valuables worth crores of rupees,” Biplab Roy, the current Administrator General and Official Trustee of West Bengal told The Hindu.
The New Secretariat Building, housing the Office of the Administrator General and Official Trustee, West Bengal, stands at the corner of Strand Road overlooking river Hooghly and lies next to the neo-gothic structure of the Calcutta High Court. Mr. Roy said that the warehouse of the Office on the ground floor of the New Secretariat Building was not opened for decades.
From the ground floor warehouse, the documents and artefacts were recently brought to the 10th floor of the building, where they were sorted out one by one.
Estate, property without legal heir
The Office of the Administrator General and Official Trustee, West Bengal, is today responsible for the maintenance of hundreds of prime properties and large parcels of land in Kolkata and the rest of the State. As per the laws of British India, any estate or property that did not have any legal heir would pass into the hands of the Administrator General. This well could have been the reason how the valuables landed at the warehouse.
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