KMC proposes to take stern action against owners & tenants refusing to repair dilapidated buildings

kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has proposed to take stern action against the owners and tenants, who have not taken up steps to repair old and dilapidated structures.

KMC has sent the proposal to the Urban Development department and action will follow once the clearance is received. Senior officials of the Building department said there are around 3000 old and dilapidated buildings in the city of which around 200 are "dangerously dilapidated."

The civic authorities have amended the Building Rules and allowed the owners of old structures with proper rehabilitation of tenants in the new buildings.

Seventy such old buildings have been pulled down to make room for the new ones. In these cases, both the owners and the tenants, have agreed to go ahead with the project.

Senior civic officials regretted that despite requests the tenants of many old structures have refused to vacate the premises and are staying there, risking their lives.

"We have declared the buildings as dilapidated and put up notice boards infront of the premises and requested the occupants to vacate them. But this has evoked only lukewarm response and the occupants continue to stay there risking their lives and those of their neighbours," senior civic officials maintained.

They said the civic authorities are taking legal opinions from the experts about the old dilapidated buildings where the owners could not be traced.

The buildings have been taken over by the trespassers, who have neither paid property tax nor repaired them. These buildings are situated in north Kolkata mostly along the river Hooghly.

The huge mansions were built by the zamindars, who used to gift them to their mistress.

With the passage of time, the old structures have been occupied by outsiders.

"The civic authorities are very serious and a decision regarding these buildings will be announced soon," civic officials maintained.