Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has asked 16 of its borough-level engineers associated with the Building department to show cause for not taking action against illegal constructions while three have been suspended for violating orders.
Addressing the press on Friday, Mayor Firhad Hakim said that illegal buildings don’t come up in a day. “I have said time and again that action needs to be taken while it is being constructed and not when it is completed and people move in.
Once residents shift in, KMC finds it difficult to take action as it paves the way for a law-and-order situation,” he said.
The Mayor said that the director general of the Building department has been advised to intervene while the construction is on. A circular has been issued to this effect where KMC will take the help of police officers to demolish the building.
He said that executive engineers were instructed that they must file an FIR with the police once it comes to their notice that an illegal construction is afoot.
In case, no action is taken after that then the director general of the Building department needs to be informed by the engineer concerned so the matter can be further taken up with the municipal commissioner and thereafter with the commissioner of Kolkata Police.
Hakim said that it was observed that borough engineers are not visiting wards to keep a check despite asking them to do so. “Recently, we have asked 16 sub assistant engineers to show cause for not taking action against illegal constructions under their respective boroughs.
Further, three have already been suspended for not following orders,” the Mayor said.
Citing an example, he said a person has developed a one-storied building on a 1.5 cottah of land in Jadavpur without any sanction. A notice has now been sent to the person, confirmed the Mayor.
Hakim also said that the number of illegal constructions has come down in the city. “We have seen an eighty per cent reduction in cases,” the Mayor remarked.