KMC mulls to install display boards where demolition is blocked by court injunction
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to install flex boards in front of illegal constructions where court injunctions have stalled demolition, in a bid to inform the public that the civic body is legally restrained from taking action.
KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim announced the decision on Friday, stating that people often wrongly assume that the corporation is unwilling to act against unauthorised structures. “Many a time, despite KMC issuing a demolition order, courts pass injunctions against such action. This ties our hands,” he told the media.
To address this misunderstanding, Hakim said he has instructed the municipal commissioner to issue formal orders for placing 2 feet by 4 feet flexes that clearly mention the reason for inaction. “The flex will state that the structure is illegal but cannot be demolished due to a court injunction. It will also include the relevant case number and other legal details,” he added.
When asked how KMC would ensure the flexes remain in place, the Mayor said the civic body often deploys security guards at such sites and emphasised that the initiative is purely to inform the public.
This move comes shortly after the Calcutta High Court on Thursday criticised KMC for failing to demolish an illegal structure at 22, Sarat Bose Road, despite a court directive issued in 2023. The court directed the municipal commissioner to submit a report explaining the apparent inaction and why KMC appeared to support an unauthorised construction. The dispute concerns a residential building in Ward 69, Borough VIII, originally sanctioned in 2007 as a ground-plus-four structure.
The approved plan allocated the ground floor for parking, the first floor as a showroom, and the upper floors as residential flats. However, inspections revealed that the parking area had been converted into a commercial shop and the second and third floors were being used as offices — clear deviations from the
sanctioned plan.