The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has issued demolition notices to several buildings in the Tiljala and Beleghata areas, branding them as unauthorized and giving residents 48 hours to vacate. The move has sparked panic among residents who have been living in these buildings for the past 15 years, as they face the daunting task of relocating within a very short timeframe. Their anxiety is compounded by the fact that the developers who sold them the properties have gone off the grid.
Residents Protest in Tiljala
Residents of buildings in Tiljala where KMC affixed the notices staged a protest on GJ Khan Road. They alleged that the developer had deceived them by claiming the properties were authorized. 'Today, the notice has been put up on our building, but the developer's phone is switched off. Where do we go with our children and elderly family members?' asked a resident. The civic body issued the notice to an illegal building named Elite Primo at 57, GJ Khan Road. However, another high-rise called Home@57 already exists at the same address. Asif Iqbal, a resident of Home@57, alleged, 'The illegal building does not have an address. We are shocked by the KMC notice issued to our address. But our building is authorized, and our developer was different.'
Beleghata Buildings Face Similar Fate
In Beleghata, five buildings, including a restaurant, received demolition notices. Locals claim that most of these were developed by local strongman Raju Naskar. Mukti Lal Hoodati, a businessman who bought a flat on East Coolia Road for Rs 54 lakh in 2011, expressed shock at the notice. 'I had taken a Rs 26 lakh loan from the bank to buy this property. If this is an illegal building, how come the bank sanctioned my loan?' he asked. Another resident, Anupam Paul, said, 'Even a 20-year-old construction has received a demolition notice. Where will we go if the houses are razed one after another?'
Red Zone and Scope of Demolition
The Tiljala-Topsia belt falls under the Red Zone for demolition of illegal buildings. Other areas with a similar tag include Garden Reach-Metiabruz, Rajabazar, Burrabazar, and some neighborhoods off EM Bypass. A civic official stated, 'Around 70% of the buildings in the Tiljala-Topsia belt have been constructed illegally in the past two decades.' According to KMC sources, if the state government decides to demolish illegal buildings across the red zone, thousands of buildings could be affected. 'According to a preliminary list, we will need to demolish no less than 3,000 apartment buildings across six boroughs,' said a KMC official.
Challenges Faced by Civic Officials
A civic official admitted that it is common knowledge that building department officials from borough offices rarely venture into these 'illegal construction zones' due to hostile conditions on the ground. Similarly, officials in charge of the Burrabazar-Rabindra Sarani (Chitpore) belt noted that access to this area is extremely challenging. According to a KMC official, several colleagues from boroughs gingerly set foot into localities that pose a challenge, with many avoiding pockets where the situation can turn volatile. A buildings department official emphasized that senior civic officials want borough-level staff to display courage, as the consequences of sparing an illegally constructed building from demolition could be far-reaching.
