Hakim cautions Assessment dept against forged property deed docus

Kolkata: In a bid to ensure that no mutation is done on the basis of forged property deed documents, Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim has asked Assessment department officials to verify the submitted documents and lodge police complaints in case they turn out to be fake.

Councillor Surdashana Mukherjee has brought to the attention of the Mayor that lately several cases have come up wherein people have allegedly submitted forged property deed documents to get unclaimed or disputed properties mutated in their names. She alleged that properties at four in the city in Ballygunge area have been illegally occupied.

The addresses of the properties are 43B Ballygunge Place, 38 Ballygunge Gardens and 94A Ballygunge Gardens and 1/1 Mani Mukherjee Road. She alleged no legal papers for these properties were submitted. The councillor urged the KMC to take legal steps against such cases.

Speaking on the matter, Firhad Hakim said: “As per the reports sought by the KMC concerning the matter, it has come to light that a case hearing is afoot in the Assessment department concerning the property at 43B Ballygunge Place. To check the legality of the land of this property, we have sent details to the Inspector General (IG) Registration.”

“For the two other properties, we have found out that there are assessees of these properties but no application for mutation was submitted in the last 10 years for these properties. Hence, the question of doubting the legitimacy of the property deeds does not arise at this moment. As per present records with us of the property at 1/1 Mani Mukherjee Road, it is non-existent. But, on inspection it was found out that the property located there is registered under this address. The property is fifty years old and has four tenants and one club. In future, if an application for mutation of the property is submitted, we will deal with it carefully and get the property deed documents verified from the IG Registration department,” Hakim said.

The Mayor informed that he has already asked the Assessment department officials that instead of blindly carrying out assessment of the property for mutation they must get it verified from IG Registration. If documents are found forged then a complaint needs to be lodged at the police station to take legal action. One can even get arrested under concerned sections of the law such as forgery, he informed.