KMC to collect expenses for ‘cleaning unoccupied properties during sale’

KOLKATA: With garbage accumulating on unoccupied and unassessed properties in the EM Bypass area posing a hurdle for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in its fight against vector-borne diseases, the civic body has decided to clean up such spaces in the city and collect the expenses from the new owner during the sale of the property.

A senior KMC official said that the civic body has now adopted the method of spreading awareness and conducting drives against vector-borne diseases throughout the year. He said that anti-larval spraying is being done to destroy mosquito larvae. Additionally, joint cleanliness and dengue awareness drives are being conducted, including miking in public.

However, the problem that continues is garbage accumulation in unoccupied and unassessed properties. This became apparent in the EM Bypass area in wards 106 and 107.

The official said: “During the recent dengue drive in wards 106 and 107, we have come across vacant lands and locked premises whose residents or owners are unavailable while these spaces remain ill-maintained. In such properties, the KMC’s solid waste management will clean up the premises and then collect the fine from the new owners or assessees during the sale of the property.” He said KMC also has the provision to file a case under Section 496A of the KMC Act where the fine is up to Rs 1 lakh.

Mayor Firhad Hakim, commenting on cases where water is accumulating on the terrace or inside old and disputed properties which lie without any maintenance and residents, said that the state government needs to come up with a law that will empower the KMC to demolish buildings that stand in the heart of the city without maintenance due to ongoing legal disputes.

He said: “If the owners of these structures don’t take responsibility for maintenance despite a warning, we should be able to demolish these if required. We will also demolish uncovered water tanks

on rooftops.”