West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday ordered the disconnection of power and water supply to all illegal buildings in the Kasba, Tiljala, Iqbalpur and Mominpur areas of Kolkata. He also directed the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-controlled Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to immediately demolish a similar building in Tiljala where a fire broke out in a leather goods factory on Tuesday, killing two people.
Within hours, bulldozers and earth movers were deployed to demolish the five-storied building on congested Kustia Road, as Central paramilitary forces and city police stood guard.
“Two men died and three were injured in the fire. We ordered an inquiry and the committee found that the building was constructed without any sanctioned plan. No basic norms regarding fire safety and power connection were followed. Sheikh Nasir and Shamim Muhammad, the owners of the illegal factory, were arrested this morning,” Adhikari said at the state secretariat.
He said that the Goenka group-owned CESC, the city’s sole power provider, have been ordered to snap power connections of illegal buildings and similar structures.
“CESC has been told to find out how many unsanctioned buildings and factories are there in Kasba, Tiljala, Iqbalpur and Mominpur and snap all power connections. The KMC has been ordered to cut off the water supply. An audit of such buildings and factories must be done immediately. The building in Tiljala should be demolished in 24 hours,” Adhikari said.
Kasba and Tiljala are part of the Kasba assembly constituency, which TMC’s Javed Ahmed Khan, a former minister, has won four times since 2011, including the recent election.
Iqbalpur and Mominpur, on the other hand, are part of the Kolkata Port Assembly seat, which former cabinet minister and sitting Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, one of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s trusted aides, has won four times since 2011.
Muslims comprise the majority of the population in all these areas.
When the TMC was in power, local residents raised numerous allegations of illegal construction in these densely populated neighbourhoods.
In January this year, at least 27 people died in a fire at a warehouse and an adjacent factory of the Wow Momo chain in Anandapur, which is part of the Kasba seat. The BJP alleged at that time that both warehouses were illegal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced monetary compensation for the victims’ families.
On Wednesday, when KMC officials reached Tiljala to demolish the affected building, they found it was connected to the adjacent building, standing a few inches away in violation of all laws. They started demolishing the adjacent structure as well.
Smita Pandey, commissioner of KMC, said, “We will not allow any unauthorised construction in Kolkata. We are going to take stern action as directed by the government.”
Adhikari sounded a warning without taking names.
“We are adopting a zero tolerance policy. Let those involved in these illegal activities be warned. They can restrain and rectify themselves,” he added before leaving for Kolkata’s Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, where the Bharatiya Janata Party and local residents held a rally to celebrate his victory against former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
TMC’s Firhad Hakim said, “Mud-slinging won’t solve the problem. I will say these buildings were constructed during the Left Front era. They will say they were made during the TMC era. This won’t solve the issue. I ordered a fire safety audit of all buildings but the report is yet to arrive.”
www.hindustantimes.com
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