KOLKATA: In an attempt to put a leash on illegal constructions, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) started a major drive to demolish such buildings. The KMC buildings department demolished 150 illegal buildings in the past year.
The department issued 5,000 stop-work notices, asking the real estate promoters to stop construction after detecting serious anomalies in the construction process across 144 wards. The KMC building department lodged 500 FIRs against unscrupulous promoters, said mayor Firhad Hakim on the concluding day of the KMC budget for the financial year 2025-26.
Replying to allegations made by the BJP and Left Front councillors against the inaction of the KMC buildings department in demolishing illegal constructions that often lead to the tilting of buildings, BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh pointed out the plight of the flat owners who bought flats in the tilted buildings and hence were evicted. Hakim said the civic body’s building department officials in the borough were instructed to take a tour of areas under their jurisdiction, locate illegal buildings, and take the initiative to stop construction.
“Our officials in the borough have become vigilant in preventing the construction of illegal buildings. Even then, I suspended officials who failed to discharge duties. At all costs, we want to stop the construction of illegal buildings,” said Hakim.
However, opposition councillors like Vijay Ojha (BJP), Madhuchhanda Deb (CPI), and Nandita Roy (CPM) questioned the efficacy of the civic body’s drivewhen complaints of illegal buildings flooded the civic headquarters.
