The state Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the historic Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which allows the owners of old and dilapidated buildings to pull down the structures and construct new ones with proper rehabilitation facilities for tenants.
The owners will also be given additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
Speaking in favour of the Bill, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said that before framing the Bill he had spoken to people from all walks of life including legal luminaries, politicians and former Justice of Calcutta High Court Pranab Chatterjee – who is currently the chairman, state law Commission and the common people.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had set up a group of minister comprising Firhad Hakim, Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Purnendu Basu and Subrata Mukherjee to discuss the issue at length.
There are over 2,500 old and dilapidated buildings in the city.
The problems of these buildings are manifold. In some cases, the owners get such low rents from tenants that it is impossible for them to maintain the building which may be 100 years old or even more.
In some other cases, it is difficult to trace the owners who have either died or left the area and their buildings have been occupied by tenants of many years.
In some other cases, there is litigation between the house owners and tenants or among the descendants of the original owners. As a result, the upkeep of the old structures is neglected, Chatterjee said.
The KMC often puts up notice boards in front of dilapidated buildings but the inhabitants who are mostly tenants continue to stay there risking their lives.
"As the people's representatives, we cannot sit idle and a practical solution is required to address this burning issue," he observed.
He said that in case of old dilapidated buildings, the KMC would issue notice to the owner or owners asking them to repair the structure within a stipulated time, failing which, the civic authorities might pull down portions of the building or the entire building for public safety.
If the owners agree to pull down the old structures to make rooms for new ones, then the KMC would give them additional FAR even up to 50 per cent to properly rehabilitate the tenants.
The KMC would prepare the rules once the Bill gets assent of the Governor and becomes an Act.
The Bill was tabled by the state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim. He said the ancestral house of Raja Subodh Mullick or the Bhukailash Rajbati was in a bad condition.
"In Chetla, there are houses which need immediate repairs but the owners are unable to carry them out because of shortage of funds. The Bill will benefit both the owners and the tenants," Hakim said.
The minister also said that the Trinamool Congress government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was committed to protect the interest of the common people.
The earlier government had no sympathy for the poor tenants but here, while framing the Bill, the interest of the owners and the tenants had been taken care of.
The Bill will be applicable to the KMC area only after studying its application carefully, similar bills would be prepared for the municipalities where old and dilapidated structures is a burning issue.