In a first: Cabinet nod for multi-storey buildings on Thika land at 4 sites in city

KOLKATA: In a first since 2019's amendment in the Thika Tenancy Act, the state Cabinet on Thursday gave clearance to allow the construction of multi-storey buildings on Thika land in Kolkata, lifting the earlier ban of not allowing construction beyond a height of 9.5 metres on such plots.

The Cabinet on Thursday gave a nod allowing the same on four Thika lands in Kolkata's Ramdulal Sarkar Street, Chaulpatty Road, Olaichand Road and Satchasipara Road. The condition against which the approval has been given includes a payment of Re 1 along with a rent at a rate of 0.3 percent of the land's present market value to the state government.

With hardly any steps taken during the Left Front regime to address the issue, thika tenants had no freedom to construct or develop their houses. They also remained deprived of getting bank loans for the same.

In a bid to bring an end to the menace, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – who is also the minister of the state Land and Land Reforms department – had brought an amendment in the Act after receiving the nod of her Cabinet on March 7 in 2019. Subsequently, the amendment Bill was passed in the state Assembly.

With the new Law in place, Thika tenants are allowed to go for constructions up to five storeys by funding it out of their own or against a bank loan. But Thika tenants are not allowed to engage developers to construct the building under any circumstance. It is also obligatory on the part of the Thika tenants to accommodate the sub-tenants in the newly constructed buildings. All the Thika tenants and sub-tenants will be rehabilitated in the new building.

The state Cabinet also allowed giving ownership to the occupants of 80 disputed flats in Central government quarters, constructed in 1970s, near Parnashree against a payment as per the last finalised valuation by the Centre.