‘Promoters must ensure residents living near highrise projects are not inconvenienced’

Kolkata: Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim issued instructions that construction work for real estate projects, particularly the ones adjacent to old houses, should start only after sheet piling which would minimise the vibrating effect felt by the residents living in adjoining houses.

“A highrise project with requisite sanction would come up as its right to property which cannot be stopped. However, the promoters will have to ensure that residents living adjacent to such projects do not face inconvenience during construction. In case of big projects, sheet piling will be mandatory, otherwise the Building department would serve a stop work notice,” Hakim said.

Sheet piles are sections of sheet steel with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground to provide earth retention and excavation support.

During the Talk to Mayor programme on Saturday, a lady from Rajabagan Lane under Borough I of Kolkata Municipal Corporation called Hakim and voiced her apprehension about the safety of her house which is over 40 years old with a highrise project starting just adjacent to the house.

Hakim immediately instructed the concerned borough engineer of the Building department to inspect to ensure that the project has all requisite documents and sanction plan and whether proper rules related to maintaining distance with adjacent buildings and leaving adequate space for fire tenders are being followed.

The Mayor said that the building plan will be suspended if norms are flouted and in case things are in proper shape, the concerned promoter must do sheet piling and then only begin construction work.

The Mayor informed the lady that he had faced similar problems as apprehended by her when a highrise building construction had started adjacent to his residence at Chetla which is over 100 years old.

“I could see Chetla Park from my window but now it is blocked,” he added.