Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Wednesday that power utility CESC had been told to conduct an audit to identify illegal buildings housing factories and disconnect their power supply.

He named four places in Calcutta — Kasba, Tiljala, Mominpore and Ekbalpore — where, he said, the problem was acute. These areas have considerable Muslim populations.

Within two hours of this announcement, two bulldozers, men with sledgehammers, and a large contingent of paramilitary and police started demolishing two multi-storey buildings on GJ Khan Road in Tiljala, where a fire killed two labourers and injured three on Tuesday.

The BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh has turned the bulldozer into a divisive symbol, mostly used to target illegal structures occupied by Muslims. That model has been followed in several other BJP-ruled states.

Suvendu said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had been asked to snap the water supply to factories in illegal buildings.

The promptness of the action reflected the new Bengal government’s intent.

 The Tiljala fire was reported around 1.45pm on Tuesday

 The report of a committee involving four departments — micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), municipal affairs, police and the KMC — on the Tiljala building fire arrived by 11am on Wednesday

 The chief minister announced his plan of action around 2.15pm, and the bulldozers rolled in by 5pm.

Two women were allowed to go inside one of the buildings being pulled down and bring out some essentials. “We were not even given time to appeal before a court of law. We were not given a chance to take out most things. We have all documents,” said one of the women.

Locals said the structures being pulled down had several residents.

Calcutta has thousands of illegal buildings, and most of them house businesses and homes together.

The report submitted by the committee “has ominous portents for our state and the city”, the chief minister told a news briefing at the state secretariat.

“The illegal workshop or factory did not have a building plan. Basic norms of fire and electricity were absent. Completely illegal,” Suvendu said.

“We have asked the power supplier to permanently discontinue the electric supply,” he added.

The CESC said it had been “directed by the State Government to take immediate necessary steps to permanently disconnect the power supply to the unauthorised buildings/ factories in the aforesaid areas”.

Disconnections have begun, too.

The power utility said: “CESC has deputed multiple teams at site to check its network up to the meters on electrical safety aspects. Power supply to several such buildings are being disconnected permanently on the grounds of safety.”

The two owners of the Tiljala factory — Sheikh Nasir and Shamim Mohammad — were arrested on Wednesday morning.

“The municipal affairs secretary has been asked to pull down the illegal structure within a day, with help from Kolkata Police,” Suvendu said.

As the bulldozers and the men arrived for the demolition, the security forces sealed about 200 metres of the road from the building to be pulled down. Shops were shut and people were asked to stay outside barricades. Personnel from the BSF and the CRPF, all carrying automatic rifles, were present along with the police.

People watched from terraces of adjacent buildings as the bulldozers ripped apart walls, and men used hammers to pull down other portions.

Suvendu elaborated on his government’s plans to deal with illegal buildings housing factories.

“The CESC has been informed through the power secretary that in all such buildings without an approved plan but having illegal factories, especially in Kasba, Tiljala, Mominpore, Ekbalpore... the CESC has been asked to do an internal audit and identify the buildings without plans and stop the electric supply,” the chief minister said.

There have been allegations that these areas have several illegal Bangladeshi settlers.

“KMC has been asked to stop water supply to such illegal factories,” he said. “We will adopt a policy of zero tolerance.”

There was a note of caution for others. “Those who want should become cautious. We are issuing a stern instruction and advice to those involved in illegalities,” Suvendu warned.

KMC sources said there were thousands of illegal buildings spread across the city and not just the places identified by the chief minister.

A nexus of politicians, police, civic officials and unscrupulous developers has led to a mushrooming of such structures.

Thirteen people died when an illegal under-construction building collapsed in Garden Reach in March 2024. In January 2025, a four-storey building in Tollygunge’s Vidyasagar Colony tilted after its pillars collapsed. KMC officials had then said they could not find any approved plan for the buildings.

Following the collapse of the Garden Reach building, Calcutta mayor FirhadHakim had asked all sub-assistant engineers to identify illegal structures. Hakim had asked KMC engineers to crack down on illegal structures before people move in and start living there, as demolition of inhabited buildings is often difficult for humanitarian reasons.

Calcuttans have for years accused the KMC of not doing enough to stop illegal constructions. There are multiple examples of builders rebuilding portions of a building that the KMC had pulled down.

The officer in charge of Pragati Maidan fire station has been suspended for dereliction of duty.