Jorhat to Abandon Historic Ronga Bhawan for New Administrative Complex

Guwahati: Jorhat is ending an era. The 112-year-old Ronga Bhawan will soon stop serving as the District Commissioner office. Administration officials are moving operations to a new integrated complex at Cinnamara later this month. Files are already on the move.

District Commissioner Jay Shivani oversees this transition. He will serve as the final official in the red-brick building and the first in the new facility. Shivani called the shift a matter of pride and coincidence. He said, "The administration was following a responsible and scientific process to ensure that no records were misplaced during the move."

The current office houses documents spanning 200 years. Work crews already moved older records, but daily files remain at the old site for now. The British completed this Victorian-style landmark in 1914 after moving headquarters from Rangpur in 1912 under Major A. Playfair. It became the District Commissioner office when Jorhat became a separate district on July 1, 1983.

Residents feel the weight of history. Advocate Dhubrajyoti Baruah noted the building holds strong emotional value for locals, despite acknowledging the necessity of the shift. Officials have not decided the site's future. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma previously suggested turning it into a museum, but the government has yet to provide formal, written instructions.