Civic body to hand over certificate of occupancy to residents living in dilapidated buildings

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will hand over certificate of occupancy to the residents of extremely old and dangerous buildings in order to convince them from vacating such buildings. Residents continue to inhabit such buildings well aware of the risk factor involved in the fear of losing their living rights.

"There are 3000 dangerous dilapidated buildings in the city among which 100 may cave in anytime posing great risk to its inhabitants. Notices have already been served. Now along with Kolkata Police we will urge residents to vacate them while handing over certificate of occupancy. This will ensure that whenever the building is developed, after pulling it down, the NOC of the concerned occupiers will be mandatory before KMC gives sanction plan of that particular building," Mayor Firhad Hakim said after holding a meeting with senior officials of Building department in presence of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and KMC commissioner Binod Kumar.

Hakim said he has also made it clear to the Police Commissioner that OCs of police stations will be held responsible if there is any waterbody filling activity in his concerned area.

An officer in the rank of Joint Commissioner has been deputed for keeping liaison with Kolkata Municipal Corporation in this matter.

Hakim later held a meeting with Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Programme (KEIIP) officials where the latter assured the Mayor of completing all pending work by August this year. The problem of waterlogging particularly in areas like Tollygunge and Behala will be solved to a reasonable extent with KEIIP completing their work.