KIT building's roof collapse: Sub-engineer, firm show-caused

The Kolkata Improvement Trust (KIT) on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to the sub-assistant engineer and the firm engaged in repairing the Housing Complex in Chetla, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said.

A portion of the roof of Block-II of the housing complex caved in on Tuesday afternoon. Eleven people including a six-year-old boy got trapped. They were later rescued by the Fire and Emergency Services department personnel.

The experts from Jadavpur University have been asked to examine the health of all the KIT housing complexes in the city and give a detailed report.

Ashis Pal, the engineer who was supervising the repairing work, has been issued a show-cause notice. Annapurna Enterprise, the firm responsible for repairing the buildings, have also been issued show-cause notices and its owners have been asked to explain whether he had taken the safety measures before resuming repairs. The firm will be blacklisted if the explanations are found to be unsatisfactory, Hakim said.

The KIT housing complex was constructed four decades ago and have not been repaired ever since. The residents said that they had urged the Urban Development minister of the erstwhile Left Front government Ashok Bhattacharya to repair the flats and maintain the housing complex properly.

But KIT officials had then told them that the rent was very low and it would not be possible for the agency to repair them. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) could not declare the buildings "dangerous" and ask the residents to vacate them as well. The residents said they had sometimes carried out "patch repairs" particularly in the roof before the monsoons to stop seepage of rainwater.

The KIT was established by the British in 1911 to carry out planned development in the city. All the important thoroughfares in the city like the Chittaranjan Avenue were laid by the KIT. Two major shopping complexes, Uttarapan off Ultadanga and Dakshinapan in South Kolkata were also built by the KIT.