KOLKATA: All police stations across the city, including the one at Garden Reach where a building collapse killed 12, have been asked to complete an audit of all under-construction buildings in their respective areas. The buildings undergoing major remodelling will also be a part of the exercise. The thrust will be on those buildings where construction work has begun in the last 18 months or less.
According to sources, the exercise has already been kicked off at Garden Reach and Metiabruz.
“Once the audit is over, we will submit the list to KMC. The police will collect details from KMC on these buildings and ascertain if they have the necessary sanctions. We will centrally maintain the details of these illegal structures and await any complaints that might be lodged by the KMC with us. Legal action under the KMC Act will be undertaken by us as and when required,” said an officer.
The cops are likely to set up an SOP while lodging and investigating illegal constructions in the city. A major area of probe will be to see the source of money that is pumped in by the accused. There were allegations that the accused promoter of the collapsed building, Md Wasim alias Wassi, had pumped in money from illegal call centres to turn black money into white. The cops stated that the money trail investigations will also help them slap criminal conspiracy charges against the accused.
Though not an owner of any call centre directly, premises developed by Wassi and his associates were often lent out for setting up call centres. According to sources, his brother — known as Mowgli — was his conduit in his businesses. “The cash realized from construction was pumped in to the call centre business and vice versa,” claimed an officer.
