Kolkata: The Urban Development & Municipal Affairs Department (UD&MA) has introduced an amendment to the State Level Building Committee (SLBC) for including a Jadavpur University professor of Architecture.
The amendment modified the committee’s composition, replacing Biplab Kanti Sengupta, former Head of the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur, with Suchandra Bardhan, Professor of Architecture at Jadavpur University.
The SLBC, established under the West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007, provides technical consultancy on cases involving minor unauthorised constructions, deviations from sanctioned plans and regularization issues referred by Urban Local Bodies. The committee, chaired by Arup Ratan Mukhopadhyay, additional secretary, includes engineers, planners, and architects.
Sources said Bardhan’s inclusion is expected to maintain the committee’s expertise while potentially bringing fresh perspectives to its deliberations.
The notification has been circulated to key stakeholders, including municipal commissioners, district magistrates, and technical officials, with instructions to upload it on the departmental website for transparency.
This change follows the original SLBC formation on February 11, 2025, and does not, however, alter the committee’s core responsibilities.Officials anticipate a seamless transition with Bardhan’s academic background strengthening the SLBC’s ability to address complex building issues.
The department is learnt to have made such a change to ensure effective urban planning and regulatory compliance across West Bengal’s municipalities.