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| Tarun Bagaria (top) and Ramshankar Prasad Sinha, the arrested caretakers of Stephen Court, have been remanded in police custody for 14 days |
The high court on Thursday ordered an interim stay on the civic body’s decision to pull down the fire-ravaged sections of Stephen Court, hours after firemen reported that large parts of the fifth and sixth floors had crumbled.
“The Calcutta Municipal Corporation is directed not to demolish any part of the building without prior approval of the court,” Justice G.C. Gupta ruled, following a petition by residents of the Park Street landmark.
The civic body, following an assessment of damage by director-general (building) G.C. Mondal, had decided to demolish “a third of Block II” of the building and the “first to fifth floors” in the southeast corner.
The petitioners — Debraj Sharma, a resident of a fifth-floor apartment, and others — questioned the CMC’s decision to pull down the damaged parts without drawing up a list of their belongings which they now could not assess.
“Please try to understand their problems,” Sharma’s lawyer Ashok Banerjee pleaded with the judge. “Whatever they’re left with are in their flats that have been out of bounds since Tuesday’s blaze. Who’ll be responsible for the safety of their belongings?”
Alok Ghosh, who represented the civic body, submitted that the demolition should not be stayed as the residents had not sent the CMC a copy of their petition.
Justice Gupta then asked Ghosh why the CMC “was in a hurry” to demolish the damaged parts. “For greater public good,” the lawyer replied. “But no part of the building will be demolished before the CMC conducts a probe.”
Suman Ghosh, who appeared for the state government and the fire services department, echoed the CMC lawyer’s views.
After hearing all sides, Justice Gupta said: “I am passing an interim stay on the demolition of any part of the building?”
The CMC lawyer at this point asked: “What if the demolition is needed for greater public cause?” The judge replied: “The door of this court is open to all. Your client can come to us and explain the urgency.”
The residents of Stephen Court and those who worked from the edifice were divided over the CMC’s demolition move. “Everyone should realise that the damaged parts need to be demolished,” said homemaker Manvi Singh, 35, a resident of a third-floor flat.
Textile trader Rahul Dutt, who has its office on the fifth floor, said: “The fire has necessitated the demolition. There is no way out.”
Avishek Agarwala, 25, a resident of a fifth-floor apartment, spoke out against the move. “I don’t support demolition. Stephen Court is a heritage structure and that has to be kept in mind.”
Back at the blaze site and hours before the demolition duel broke out, a group of firemen rushed out of the building and announced in front of horrified residents that large parts of the fifth and sixth floors had come crashing down.
“The debris on the fourth floor is now over 10ft high. No one should be allowed in,” a fireman screamed at 4.45am, just after a few residents had persuaded police to let them in briefly to fetch their belongings. The residents were finally denied entry but in the afternoon another group of tenants blocked the Park Street gate to the structure, demanding that they be allowed to enter their establishments.
The tenants were allowed to enter the building, but after coming out Manas Rawat — a co-owner of Rawat & Sons Engineering, on the fifth floor — alleged that he had been roughed up by the police and ordered out.
At Writers’ Buildings, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said the last two additional floors (fifth and sixth) of Stephen Court were built according to the 1984 building rules which had some flaws and had to be amended in 1993. Asked about the chief minister’s statement about a “vicious cycle” in the administration, the minister said: “You can’t cite any instance of a building plan being sanctioned in exchange of money.”
Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said a commission would be formed to probe the blaze, which he said had claimed 24 lives. Ten persons are still missing.
