Kolkata:On March 2024, as many as 13 people were killed in Garden Reach of Kolkata after an under-construction building collapsed in the southern fringes of the city. Victims' families pointed fingers at the promoter of the building. They alleged that he blatantly flouted Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) building laws and used his 'proximity' with local Trinamool Congress leaders to continue the construction. Cut to January 14, 2025, a multi-storied building allegedly constructed on a waterbody, which was illegally filled, tilted and partially collapsed in the Bagha Jatin area of Kolkata.
Barely seven days later, on January 21, 2025, an under-construction building dangerously tilted on one side in Kamarhati, a northern suburb of the city. Panic was very much palpable as a school functioned next door. Locals alleged that the building was being constructed after illegally filling up a pond.
On January 22, two multi-storied buildings tilted towards each other, both losing their foundation in Kamarhati, situated in the northern suburb of Kolkata. According to locals, the buildings have been illegally constructed encroaching on a cowshed and there have been no sanctions from the civic authorities.
Recurring incidents of building collapse and tilting of multi-storied structures have now prompted the KMC authorities to sit up and take a hard look at their backyard. Matters became sour in a recent 'Talk to Mayor' programme hosted by Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim where a resident of Behala, which is within the jurisdiction of Ward number 127, alleged that a promoter, who has proximity with the local TMC leadership, has been repeatedly skipping summons for a hearing.
The resident also alleged that his complaint against illegal construction at his ward continued unabated as KMC officials had no option, but to issue a fresh summon and the promoter kept going with the construction while never turning up for a hearing scheduled by KMC to redress the complaint. In another hard look at KMC's building department, it was found after the Bagha Jatin building collapse incident that around 90 per cent of buildings constructed in nine wards of the civic body had no authorised completion certificate from the KMC. A completion certificate is issued by the KMC to a building after a thorough inspection and ensuring all safety parameters are adhered to before the building is declared fit for occupancy.
The KMC authorities now want to change the scenario. An official of the building department said, "Our department does not have any Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while dealing with defaulters, skipping of summons or for other violations of building norms. The only thing which is considered as a cornerstone for judging complaints and cases is, the existing building laws. But, a section of promoters and builders have been bypassing the laws. Once the SOP is brought in place, they cannot do that."
The official, however, said, the Mayor's Office has been very clear about illegal construction in the city and flouting of norms. "The present law is not clear about what punitive action can be taken if a person does not respond to repeated summons and shirks away from attending hearings following a complaint. The newly drafted SOP will provide only three options for hearing. If any person does not appear on the third consecutive hearing date to redress any complaint, then the hearing officer will be empowered to take an ex-parte decision on behalf of KMC. No further date will be issued and no further options will be provided," the official said, adding that KMC Commissioner Dhaval Jain will be overseeing the drafting of the SOP.
