A building in Garden Reach in southwest Kolkata and another in Beleghata in the northeast were among eight structures that were partially pulled down by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday as part of a drive against illegal construction.
A KMC official said the buildings in Garden Reach and Beleghata were four-storeyed structures. “Both stand on thika land. Not one floor in either building was constructed with permission from the civic body,” the official said.
“No one lived in the two buildings. There were attempts to stop the demolition at both places, but police intervened and drove away the protesters.”
The KMC made large holes on the roof and floors of the buildings, exposing the interiors to the elements.
The official said the civic body would not demolish entire structures. “We will demolish significant portions of the buildings in a way that they become unfit for living. If the rooms inside are not fit for living, the developer cannot sell them,” said the official.
The building in Garden Reach is on Paharpur Road. Local councillor (Ward 134) Shams Iqbal said there were complaints against the illegal structure. “Engineers of the building department probed the complaint and found that the structure had been erected without any permission,” he said.
The building in Beleghata is on Kabi Sukanta Sarani in Ward 35. Anindya Kishore Routh, chairperson of borough III, which includes Ward 35, said the building was demolished following an order from Calcutta High Court.
“We demolished portions of eight buildings across the city on Wednesday. The buildings were constructed illegally,” the official said.
KMC officials said illegal constructions on thika land was common. “We have opened an office of the thika controller in the KMC headquarters on SN Banerjee Road. People should come here and resolve their problems instead of constructing buildings illegally,” said an official.
Apart from Garden Reach and Beleghata, the places where the KMC partially pulled down buildings are Karaya, Kasba, Beniapukur, Tiljala and Watgunge.
