Kolkata, April 9 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now decided to bring the offices of all its wings in Kolkata under the same roof.

Sources aware of the development said that the decision has been taken to ensure better inter-departmental coordination.

Currently, the offices of the four wings of the CBI in Kolkata, namely the Anti-Corruption Branch, Special Crime Branch, Economic Offenses Wing, and the bank securities and fraud branch, operate from two separate offices.

The first is at Nizam Palace in central Kolkata, and the second is at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

However, sources said, all four wings of the central office will now operate from a 14-storey building at New Town, also on the northern outskirts of Kolkata. Four floors in the new building have been allotted to the CBI.

Sources said that work has already started on shifting documents and gadgets from the Nizam Palace and CGO Complex offices to New Town.

The aim is to start operating from the new office by this month or maximum by next month.

Currently, the different wings of the CBI, especially those sleuths attached to the Anti-Corruption Branch, Special Crime Branch, Economic Offenses Wing are burdened with too many high-profile cases in West Bengal namely the cash-for-school jobs probe, municipalities’ recruitment irregularities case, ration distribution scam, and R.G, Kar rape-murder case, among others.

Certain cases, like those related to the R.G. Kar incident, are handled by officers of two different departments of the CBI.

While the sleuths of the Special Crime Branch are investigating the aspect of rape and murder and the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the mishap, the officers of the Anti-Corruption Branch are probing the case of alleged financial irregularities at R.G. Kar.

So in such a situation, added sources, it was necessary to bring the offices of all the wings under the same roof to attain larger inter-departmental coordination, and precisely keeping that in mind the decision was taken to shift to a new office at New Town.

–IANS

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