Behera Brothers, facing scrutiny after its under-construction warehouse at P-2 Transport Depot Road collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, is a Calcutta-based enterprise operating in tea manufacturing, warehousing and logistics.
Police have identified one of the company’s owners and said he has been “missing” from his New Alipore residence since news of the collapse and subsequent deaths emerged.
Late on Wednesday, the police said that Sayed Mohammad Gulzar, the building supervisor, and labour suppliers Mohammad Ataul and Subhash Chowdhury had been detained for questioning.
The company, established in 1970, provides processing services including tea blending, contract packaging — from small pouches to 1kg packs — and warehousing solutions, according to its website.
A team of Kolkata Police officers conducted a search at its office at 1-DB Main Tower, 31/41 Binova Bhave Road, New Alipore.
A company staff member, Abdul Hamid, said he was involved in the process of taking the property on lease and securing sanction from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
“I was involved in the entire work. The company had adhered to all KMC terms and conditions. The sub-contractor Azgar Ali made the mistake,” Hamid said. He added that Azgar was also trapped in the rubble along with the workers.
Multiple police teams carried out raids at the company’s branch office at Quarter 1/1, Goragacha Road, the Behera residence in New Alipore, and another office in the same area.
The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority had granted a 30-year lease from August 1, 2024, to “M/s Behera Brothers for an area measuring approx. 6,689sqm for setting up a multi-storied warehouse and cold storage facility”.
The port authority distanced itself from the incident, stating that responsibility for statutory approvals lay with the lessee.
In a written statement, it said: “It is pertinent to mention that Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, as the lessor of the land, grants permissions/NOCs only to the extent required under the terms of the lease. The lessee is solely responsible for obtaining all statutory approvals, permissions, sanctions and clearances from the competent authorities, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and other regulatory agencies, prior to commencement of any construction activity. Further, upon completion of construction, the lessee is required to obtain all requisite approvals, certifications and occupancy-related permissions from the concerned statutory authorities in accordance with the applicable laws, rules and regulations.”
