A portion of a private market in Bowbazaar collapsed in the wee hours of Friday, in the overnight rains that lashed the city.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

The Trinamool councillor from ward 48, Bishwarup Dey said he had raised the issue of the building marked as an unsafe one with Mayor Firhad Hakim.

“I told the Mayor the market must be shut down, demolished and the shopowners and workers relocated. Thankfully, there was no casualty today. This is a disaster waiting to happen,” Dey told The Telegraph Online.

Around 5am, an extended facade of the building fell on the road. Because of the rains, some of the labourers, who sleep on the pavement outside the market, were indoors and escaped being hurt.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had held several dialogues with the shopowners to vacate the building but have refused.

Dey added, “The building is not in good shape. This is not the first time such a thing has happened and this won’t be the last. Many people from the neighbourhood and nearby localities come to the market.”

The councilor added, “If this building isn’t vacated or demolished then there will be an injury soon. Demolition is the only way forward but people need to cooperate and move out so that harm doesn’t befall them. The building is beyond repair.”