Mayors have come and gone, but one ageing crusader has gone on for a decade.

Kajal Majumdar, 78, has toiled for 10 years to draw the attention of civic officials — under Prasanta Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee and now Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya — to an “illegal construction” that shares a wall with her ground-floor apartment.

Bowing to repeated requests from the septuagenarian widow, Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) officials finally visited 64 Shakespeare Sarani on Monday and pulled down the two top floors of the building.

“Two floors of the building were illegal… After a spot verification, a demolition order was passed under Section 408 of the CMC Act, 1980,” said a civic body official.

The demolition drive has not solved Kajal Majumdar’s problems — the wall blocking her bedroom still stands — but she can afford to smile.

“I have been trying for over 10 years to draw their attention. I am relieved that the CMC people have at last visited the site,” smiled Kajal Majumdar, who has lost count of the number of times she has visited the CMC headquarters to complain against the illegal construction in her backyard.

She has also written several letters to the CMC authorities — and even contemplated legal action — to demolish the illegal structure blocking her window.

“Finally, they have acted… They pulled down two floors. But they did not demolish the wall blocking my window. Still, I am happy because Abidur Rahman (the owner) has got the message,” she said.

The elderly widow has been living in Flat No. II of the next-door building for the past 40 years as a tenant. Things were fine till the illegal construction started on the adjacent plot 10 years ago.

Rahman, the owner of the two adjoining buildings, wanted to add two extra floors, while the CMC had approved a three-storeyed structure.

“He went ahead and added two floors and also erected a wall in front of my bedroom window,” she recounted.

When Kajal, who lives with her daughter and nephew, objected to the illegal structure, the owner urged her to shift to another flat. She initially agreed to shift but later dug her heels in.

“I vowed to see the end of it. I used to visit the CMC at least thrice a month,” she added, recounting her meetings with mayors Chatterjee and Mukherjee.

“It is difficult to recollect all the names, but everyone in the building department knew me,” said the bespectacled woman.

“Yes, I have seen her in our office many times,” said Gorachand Mondol, the director-general (building). But he could not explain why it had taken the civic body a decade to respond to her pleas and demolish the illegal floors.

According to the CMC’s estimates, the number of illegal buildings in the city is “over two lakh”. “It is impossible to go and demolish all the illegal buildings. But if common people come forward and raise their voice against flouting of rules, our job becomes easier,” said Mondol.

The moral of the Shakespeare Sarani story: if Kajal Majumdar, 78, can, why can’t you?

The wall blocking the woman’s window could not be pulled down because the CMC workers did not get police assistance, despite prior notice, alleged Mondol. “It will eventually be pulled down,” Mondol promised.

“I hope they keep their promise. Till they don’t, I will keep fighting,” promised Majumdar.