Kolkata: Following the tragic incident that left at least 9 dead after a building constructed illegally collapsed, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is learnt to have show-caused three of its officials on Monday.
Despite the implementation of measures to stop the menace, mushrooming of illegal constructions in the city by filling up water bodies at a time of rapid urbanisation has left KMC in the lurch and looking for ways to contain the problem
The collapse of the illegal construction in Ward No. 134 in the Garden Reach area on Sunday night has apparently increased the pressure on KMC which is learnt to have asked Borough-15’s executive engineer, assistant engineer and sub-assistant engineer to show cause in 48 hours as to why they did not report the illegal construction to the KMC building department’s director general.
In the late evening, KMC has also instructed its Building department to ascertain the cause of collapse of the under construction building and conduct a survey to determine the number of illegal constructions within the civic body area so that action can be taken against these.
Meanwhile, complaints regarding unauthorised constructions in the Garden Reach area are frequent. In March 2023, a building in Ward 134 leaned towards another, triggering panic among the residents in Garden Reach. Locals alleged that both buildings were illegally constructed without any sanction from the KMC but complaints fell on deaf ears.
According to Mayor Firhad Hakim, the civic body demolished about 550 illegal constructions in the fiscal 2023-24. His clarification came after Opposition councillors alleged that even though it is claimed that illegal buildings are being demolished, the reality is that only a small portion of these are altered but in totality they are left untouched.
Hakim said that from now on whenever a building is demolished it needs to be recorded in an app for evidence so one can view it later for verification.
The Mayor added: “Smallest of plots are now receiving sanctions without hassle. One needs to submit the completion certificates and building plans online for sanction. Those wanting to opt for the offline option, they need to directly submit documents with the director general (DG) of the building department.”
However, the current tragedy in Garden Reach that claimed multiple lives has once again put the KMC in a difficult spot. Locals have alleged that the building was coming up on a water-body which was filled up for construction purposes.
It was learnt the Calcutta High Court is scheduled to hear two PILs this week on filling up of water bodies.
“The civic body has in recent years laid emphasis on recycling construction and demolition waste which are otherwise being allegedly used to fill up water bodies for real estate purposes. The Mayor gave orders to ensure construction or demolition wastes are picked up by KMC vehicles and taken to its material recovery facility plant at Pathuriaghata,” the official said. To enforce the rule, Kolkata Police was asked to keep strict vigil at Majerhat Bridge which, according to the mayor, is being used by multiple goods vehicles loaded with construction wastes to enter South Kolkata and then allegedly unload such wastes in water bodies for illegal constructions.