WB Government decided to turn Indira Bhavan into Museum & Research Centre devoted to Nazrul Islam

The West Bengal Government on 28 December 2011 declared its decision to take over Indira Bhavan, which was the official residence of former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu at Salt Lake. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declared that Indira Bhavan would be turned into a museum and a research centre devoted to Kavi Nazrul Islam, a contemporary of Rabindranath Tagore.

After the death of Jyoti Basu in 2010, the previous government (CPIM) had mulled many options including converting it into a government guest house.

The decision to convert Indira Bhavan into Nazrul Bhavan was taken in public interest and to promote research work on the great rebel poet. The Nazrul Bhavan would house a research centre and museum on the great rebel poet who made a memorable contribution to the country's freedom movement.

All furniture and other belongings of former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu would be handed over to his family or party. The building will house primarily the poet's memorabilia, his books and research on the poet's works. The project on Kazi Nazrul was announced earlier. However it was not known then where the research centre and museum on Kazi Nazrul Islam would be housed.

The process of handing over the property to the state government is expected to be completed by 31 December 2011. The property will then be under the state urban development department. Since 2000, Alimuddin Street (CPIM party office) used to pay about Rs 8880 per month to the state urban development department as rent for Indira Bhavan and rent for the bungalow had been paid in advance till December 2011.

The bungalow was named Indira Bhavan during the Congress Session in 1972 when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stayed there for the duration of the session.

Indira Bhavan was built in 1972 primarily to serve as a guest house for then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her visits to the city. The Left Front government later decided to allot Indira Bhavan for Basu to live in and he had moved into the bungalow in August 1989. Since then, he continued to live there till his death in 2010.