The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is preparing to initiate a comprehensive campaign aimed at demolishing unsafe and deteriorating buildings. The KMC Buildings Department will be required to utilize special authority to dismantle these structures, which present a risk to their inhabitants as well as to pedestrians in the vicinity.
A representative from the KMC Buildings Department stated that they will seek assistance from an expedited order — which the municipal commissioner is authorized to issue under section 411(4) of the KMC Buildings Rule — granting the civic authority the power to demolish any insecure sections of a dilapidated building that are irreparable.
A survey has already been conducted to pinpoint those buildings that are in a hazardous state and are at risk of collapsing during heavy rainfall. We have identified approximately 300 buildings that endanger both residents and pedestrians.
Among these, we are closely monitoring over 150 buildings, parts of which must be demolished without delay,” the Buildings Department official remarked. The severely deteriorated buildings are situated across Boroughs I to IX.
Nevertheless, the highest concentration of such structures is found in Cossipore, Burtolla, Burrabazar, Rabindra Sarani, Pathuriaghata, Beadon Street, Chittaranjan Avenue, College Street, Amherst Street, Ripon Street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Park Circus, Topsia, and Ballygunge. “We must evacuate numerous dilapidated houses located in danger zones. Otherwise, accidents could occur at any moment, particularly during the monsoon season,” the official added.
In recent years, over 60 unsafe structures have collapsed, resulting in fatalities among both residents and pedestrians. A civic official remarked, “Considering the nature of the incident that occurred on Shamsul Huda Road, we are concerned, as most of our engineers who conduct surveys of dilapidated buildings typically assess the exterior and assign an insecure tag based on structural safety.
However, the building on Shamsul Huda Road appeared sound from the outside, leading our engineers to overlook its interior integrity.” The KMC Buildings Department is also providing opportunities for owners of such structures to rebuild after demolition.
A senior official from the KMC Buildings Department stated that under section 412(A), the civic body would grant additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to owners of dilapidated buildings, allowing them to accommodate existing tenants. “We will urge the owners of these buildings to embrace this unique scheme to protect tenants from the ongoing risk of imminent collapse,” the civic official added.
The urgent need for the reconstruction of severely dilapidated buildings became evident after tenants and residents in the Burrabazar area repeatedly requested permission to repair their structures, as the owners could not be contacted for such urgent repairs, especially in light of the repeated collapses of several buildings in areas like Ahiritolla, Rabindra Sarani, and Pathuriaghata over the past three years.
