Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday displayed in the Assembly a document signed by then Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim which approved the Taratala warehouse that collapsed on Wednesday, claiming 11 lives so far.

He went on to blame the tragedy on the Trinamool Congress’s alleged corruption-and bribery-model and said no one responsible for turning Calcutta into a “mrityupuri” (city of death) would be spared.

“This building plan was approved on January 17, 2026. We have uncovered everything. This is the result of your (Trinamool’s) sins. By taking money everywhere, you have turned this City of Joy and Greater Calcutta into a mrityupuri,” Suvendu said in the Assembly.

“The signature of your former mayor is on this document. No one will be spared.… See, here — this is the signature of the honourable Firhad Hakim,” he added, showing the document to the Opposition benches.

“See how you approved a faulty plan despite the presence of structural defects. There is no limit to the number of such acts you have committed.”

Suvendu accused the Mamata Banerjee government of failing to learn from multiple structural collapses, such as the 2024 cave-in of an illegal building in Garden Reach that killed 13 people.

Hakim resigned as mayor recently and is now part of the rebel Trinamool camp, headed by leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.

Trinamool Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh said in the evening that Hakim should be interrogated in custody.

“We welcome the chief minister’s announcement regarding action against those responsible for the Taratala incident. However, we want the individuals named by the chief minister today, including the former mayor, to be taken into custody and interrogated,” Kunal said.

Hakim told reporters the warehouse was not illegal and that he had no knowledge of the materials used in its construction or where exactly the construction was taking place.

“As far as I know, the warehouse was not illegal. There was a lack of supervision. The mayor or the commissioner cannot personally go and monitor every project,” he said.

“As far as I have learned, it was constructed after obtaining the necessary approvals. However, it is not for me to know what materials were used in its construction. Nor was I aware of where exactly the construction was taking place.”

Suvendu did not limit his attack to Hakim. Referring to an official report, he named three civic engineers who had allegedly failed to discharge their duties.

Suvendu went on to describe what he alleged was Trinamool’s corruption network relating to civic approvals for construction, naming a certain “Kali” as a key figure.

Suvendu seemed to be alluding to Kalicharan Banerjee, officer on special duty to Hakim when he was mayor.

Sources said Kalicharan was known in corporation circles as the de facto “deputy mayor” during Hakim’s tenure. He allegedly played a key role in running the civic administration, particularly when Hakim was preoccupied with his responsibilities as urban development minister.

“Don’t we know what has happened at the KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation)? If Kali is arrested, everything will come out. No plan got approved in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation without Kali’s approval,” the chief minister told the Assembly.

“Kali was appointed by (Trinamool No. 2 Abhishek Banerjee’s) Camac Street office — everyone knows that. This same Kali is building your party office beside the (EM) Bypass for ₹200 crore. Money collected from various sources is now being sent there. We know everything.”

He warned: “We will not spare anyone. Action will be taken. A zero-tolerance policy will be followed in this case. Thereafter, properties will be attached and the losses will be recovered from them.”

Kali has, however, had a falling out with Abhishek, with the Diamond Harbour MP’s office filing a police complaint in 2024 accusing him of using his name to extort money.

Multiple calls from this newspaper to Kalicharan went unanswered.

At a news conference on Wednesday, the chief minister had promised a detailed report on the role of those involved in approving the Taratala construction. He had claimed he would expose everything on the floor of the Assembly after receiving the report from the KMC.

Wider freeze

Suvendu had on Wednesday announced a month’s suspension of work at under-construction sites, particularly within KMC areas, to facilitate an audit of approved building plans. On Thursday, he expanded the freeze to include areas across Greater Calcutta.

“For the next four weeks, we are suspending all non-essential construction work across the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Rajarhat-New Town, Maheshtala, Pujali and the rural and urban areas of Bishnupur, Baruipur and Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas, except for emergency services,” he said.

“Every single sanctioned plan will undergo a thorough audit. A high-level committee is being set up for this purpose.”

Suvendu announced that the committee would be headed by an additional chief secretary, with senior IIT Kharagpur professor Damodar Maity playing a key role in the audit process.

The chief minister also announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the family of each of the dead and ₹1 lakh each for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh each for the bereaved families and ₹50,000 each for the injured.