The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Sunday began demolishing six under-construction buildings across the city, which officials described as “completely illegal” and lacking the civic body’s approved plans.

Two of the buildings either belonged to, or were allegedly linked with, Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu, who is accused of having close ties with several Trinamool leaders and is currently in Enforcement Directorate's (ED) custody in connection with a land-grab case.

State municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul said the names of KMC Trinamool councillor Faiz Khan and Raju Naskar, an alleged aide to Trinamool leaders, were also associated with some of the other under-construction properties that were demolished.

Payloaders and bulldozers were used to bring down at least one building in Tiljala.

The buildings chosen for demolition are in Kasba, Tiljala and Beleghata and did not have any residents that made the demolition easier, a senior KMC official said.

Paul, who visited some of the demolition sites, said six premises had been picked for demolition on Sunday. Standing outside an under-construction building in Kasba, she said: “Sona Pappu built this. He put someone else’s name in front. Some of the others are Raju Naskar, a notorious criminal and a close aide of Trinamool; and the son of MLA Javed Khan (Faiz Khan),” she said.

KMC officials said notices had been served on all six properties. Builders or owners of all the structures, except one, appeared for hearings but failed to produce any document showing that the constructions had been undertaken with the civic body’s approval.

“The hearing officer did not feel there was any ground to retain the structures. They were completely illegal and did not have an approved plan,” said Smita Pandey, the commissioner of KMC, who visited all the demolition sites on Sunday and spoke with civic body officials.

On BB Chatterjee Road in Kasba, a five-storey building had been constructed on a narrow plot, leaving barely any gap from the adjacent structure. From one of the stair landings of the building being demolished, a person could even touch the neighbouring building.

In neighbouring Bosepukur, another demolition squad from KMC was at work.

Paul, who visited both the structures in Kasba, said the buildings belonged to Sona Pappu.

“Both the buildings are Sona Pappu’s. He is the main guy. There were others under him, like Babu Sona and other criminal brothers,” she said.

On May 18, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Biswajit Poddar alias Sona Pappu in connection with an alleged land-grabbing case. Trinamool Congress leader Debasish Kumar was also questioned in connection with the same case.

Poddar has 17 criminal cases registered against him with the city police. His alleged criminal record includes charges of murder, attempted murder, extortion, and several other serious offences.

Poddar, who once lived with his parents on GS Bose Road in Kasba, came to be known as “Sona Pappu” after he began managing his father Hari Narayan Poddar’s gold jewellery shop in Picnic Gardens.

The allegations against him range from controlling syndicates that supplied building materials to operating a construction business in parts of Kasba, Tangra and Tiljala. Over time, he allegedly expanded his influence across several pockets of south Calcutta after shifting his base to Gariahat.

On Sunday, Soma Sonar Poddar, Biswajit's wife, reported the loss of the sanctioned building plan of their residence at 184D Fern Road under the jurisdiction of Gariahat police station.

In her complaint, Soma told police that the sanctioned plan had gone missing from their home about a month ago and that she intended to apply for a duplicate copy once a police diary was registered.

She lodged the complaint a few hours after the KMC demolished one of the buildings allegedly built by her husband.

On GJ Khan Road in Tiljala, demolition work was underway on Sunday at a seven-storey building divided into two blocks. At least two payloaders had been deployed to pull down the structure, while three more machines were kept on standby.

KMC sources alleged that both structures were linked to local Trinamool councillor Faiz Khan, son of Kasba MLA and former minister Javed Khan. Speaking to journalists outside the Tiljala site, Pandey said officials from the KMC building department had informed him that the structure “belonged to Faiz Khan”.

Faiz Khan, the Trinamool councillor from Ward 66 of the KMC, denied the allegations.

“Without proper investigation, they are making these allegations. I have no association with this property. For 50-60 years, all ruling dispensations have ignored the problems of poor people. They found their ways of raising houses where they can live,” said Faiz. “I am a mere councillor, and I have myself complained to KMC against so many illegal constructions,” he said.

The civic body also pulled down another structure on GJ Khan Road, where construction had just begun.

In Beleghata, two more illegal structures were pulled down, one on East Kulia Road and the other on Barowaritala Road. KMC sources said the two structures belonged to Raju Naskar.

Kolkata Police have registered two cases against Naskar over alleged illegal constructions in the eastern suburban parts of the city.

Police sources said that, based on complaints lodged by the KMC, Naskar has been accused of constructing an unauthorised five-storey building at 1/3A, East Kulia Road in Ward 34. He is also alleged to have built another illegal five-storey structure on Barwaritala Road.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had also mentioned Naskar’s name in connection with the issue.

Suvendu had mentioned Naskar’s name in connection with alleged illegal constructions in Beleghata and claimed that he was under the scanner of law enforcement agencies.

Municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul blamed the Trinamool Congress for the alleged illegal constructions.

“Didn’t the former chief minister, Mr Firhad Hakim or Abhishek Banerjee, know about these illegal structures? Did they not know what we managed to find out within fifteen days of coming to power?” Paul said while visiting two of the buildings being demolished.

“Government officials who were responsible for checking this (illegal construction), those who were occupying important positions of the last government will be held accountable too. The task will not end with only pulling down the structures,” she said.

“Drives against illegal construction will go ahead. The chief minister has said there should be special focus on illegal buildings where commercial activities are underway,” she said.