Guwahati: Jorhat’s 112-year-old iconic red-brick ‘Ronga Bhawan’ is set to cease functioning as the District Commissioner’s office as the district administration prepares to shift to a new integrated office complex at Cinnamara later this month.
The new office is nearly complete, and the administration expects to begin functioning from the Cinnamara complex within September. Although an inauguration date has not yet been announced, the shifting of records and files has already begun.
Jorhat District Commissioner Jay Shivani will be the last DC to serve from the historic building and the first to begin work from the new office. He described the transition as a matter of pride and coincidence, given the building’s long association with the district administration.
Shivani said old records of all branches under the DC’s office had already been shifted, while files required for day-to-day work were still being handled from the existing office.
The relocation also involves the transfer of records dating back nearly 200 years. Shivani said the administration was following a responsible and scientific process to ensure that no records were misplaced during the move.
Ronga Bhawan dates back to the early years of Jorhat’s emergence as an administrative centre. Jorhat was declared the administrative headquarters of the undivided Sivasagar district in 1911, and the headquarters was shifted from Rangpur to Jorhat in 1912 under Major A. Playfair.
The present Victorian-style red-brick building was completed by the British in 1914. Popularly known as Ronga Bhawan or Ranga Ghar, it subsequently became an important administrative centre in Upper Assam.
After Jorhat was made a separate district on July 1, 1983, the building continued to house the District Commissioner’s office.
Advocate Dhubrajyoti Baruah said the building has strong emotional significance for residents because of its association with the administrative history of Upper Assam. He also pointed to its proximity to the DC Court, which made it convenient for people visiting the office.
Baruah said residents nevertheless respected the government’s decision to shift the administration to Cinnamara.
The future of the historic building after the relocation remains undecided. Shivani said the government could consider preserving it as a heritage centre or converting it into a district museum.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said during a visit to Jorhat last year that the building would be converted into a museum. However, the government is yet to issue written instructions on its future use.