A damaged portion of Chatterjee International: Renovation hope

After a gap of over 20 long years, the tallest and most visible eyesore of the city that was a blot on the Chowringhee skyline — Chatterjee International Centre — is being repaired. It is one of the first multi-storeyed structures of its kind and has been embroiled in controversy since its inception. It became a symbol of civic neglect and callousness that has marred life in the city.

Plaster and mosaic tiles had sloughed off, parasites thrived all over the structure and things came to a head on May 15, 2000, when a fire-fighting platform came crashing down killing a passerby. Occupancy dwindled and squabbles among the different groups of owner-occupants poisoned the atmosphere even more. Wild rumours circulated about the condition of the building. The government called for strong action against those in charge but it amounted to just that – words.

According to sources, the original sanctioned plan was for a building with about half the number of existing floors -- 14. No papers on the building exist with the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC). The top floors had become structurally weak, too weak, in fact, to support the air-conditioning plant on the roof.

But now things seem to be taking a turn for the better. Mayor Subrata Mukherjee gives Chatterjee International Centre a clean bill of health. “We have asked them to get the building repaired and painted. They have no outstanding taxes. I am quite happy with what they are doing,” says Mukherjee.

A spokesperson for the new committee of owners that took over the reins from the earlier society after an extraordinary general meeting and elections on April 20, 2002, says extensive internal repairs started soon after they took over, and claims that all steps have been taken to reinforce the 24-storeyed structure that came up in the late Seventies and its fire-fighting capability. The bill will be a cool Rs 5 crore.

But fire minister Pratim Chatterjee is unimpressed. “I told the earlier mayor Prashanta Chatterjee and I have told the present incumbent Subrata Mukherjee, too, that Chatterjee International is not fireproof. It has only one exit. What if a fire breaks out?”

The Chatterjee International Centre society counters the minister’s charge enumerating the steps already taken for fire safety. When the CMC declared the building unsafe it had no exit. Now the front entrance allows both ingress and egress. It has two staircases in the front and the rear. There are three reservoirs -- in the basement, on the 12th floor and one on the roof. A fire-fighting pump has been installed in the basement and it is operational. Each floor has two hose reels of 25 metres and 35 metres near the staircases. All fire hydrants are operative and a total of 80 different types of fire extinguishers have been installed.

The building was constructed by B.K. Chatterjee, one of the biggest names in civil engineering. He disappeared from the scene soon afterwards. In 1976, Calcutta High Court regularised it on payment of penalty fees of Rs 2,75,000. When maintenance became difficult, the court appointed an administrator in 1980. When the building was declared unsafe in 2000, the CMC appointed an expert committee which recommended that the cooling tower on the roof be dismantled, the fire-fighting platforms be removed and the front entrance opened. In 2001, the beams and columns underwent non-destructive testing as recommended by the committee. Repairs, and not destruction, were called for. The cooling tower and its support were removed. Till last year, 400-500 “pressure groutings” have been undertaken to strengthen the structure. Repairs will take 12 to 18 months.