Kolkata: 52 dilapidated buildings get notices

A building at Bentinck Street whose owners assured KMC that repair work will start soon. Subham Dutta.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has issued notices to 52 old and dilapidated buildings located in different areas under its jurisdiction. The notices were served recently under the amended Building Laws, section 412A of the KMC Act, 1980. Most of the structures are located in north and central Kolkata. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee had held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter. “We have sent notices to owners of 52 dilapidated buildings across the city to conduct repair work. We have also received approval of the Municipal Building Committee (MBC) to send notices in connection with 212 such cases under section 421A of the KMC Act, 1980,” he said. Sources said that the maximum number of notices have been sent to buildings located in ward nos. 21, 24, 27, 22, 25, 28, 39, 23, 26 and 38 under Borough no. 4, which includes Pathuriaghat, Maniktala, Posta, Girish Park, Jorasanko (north and central Kolkata). Ten buildings in Bidhan Sarani, Hogg Street, AJC Bose Road, Jadavpur-Garia areas have also been slapped notices.

“Notices will soon be served in Borough nos. 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 (Garden Reach, Cossipore, Belagachia, Chowbagha, Tiljala, Anandapur). The civic body had demolished some buildings in July after their parts had started collapsing following monsoon,” said an official.

On Tuesday, a two-storied building on Bentick Street was about to be demolished but wasn’t after KMC officials got assurance from the owner that it would be renovated within a timeframe.

During the monsoon, there had been a number of building collapses in Kolkata, following which the city police had given the KMC a list of high risk structures. Sources said KMC workers had then embarked on a demolition drive. However, on Tuesday, around 70 tenants held a meeting and requested officials to stop the drive. KMC officials gave them time to start repair work within a week. However, they will continue to demolish buildings that are putting lives at risk or not being repaired by their owners.