Kolkata: With only two days for Bakrid, residents of Tiljala-Topsia neighbourhood in West Bengal’s capital city woke up to demolition notices pasted on their doors from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), declaring their homes “unauthorised” and asking them to vacate or face “bulldozer action.”
“If you fail to comply with the requisition, the Municipal Commissioner may, after giving not less than 48 hours from the service of this notice to you, demolish the unauthorised construction,” the notice said.
“Buildings in the Topsia neighbourhood of Kolkata stands in violation of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980. The demolition costs will be borne by the building residents or owners,” the notice added.
A restaurant was among the five other buildings issued a notice in Baleghata.
With the residents given time till May 27 to vacate or demolish their houses, videos circulating online show heavy police presence as bulldozers were spotted ready to raze the “illegal structures.”
48-hour deadline to vacate homes
Tiljala-Topsia is a Muslim-dominant neighbourhood. Residents were directed to vacate days before the Islamic festival, raising questions about the timing of the notice. Many who moved into those buildings over the last 15 years are now living in fear, with nowhere else to go on such short notice. Some locals allege that it’s a deliberate move to drive them out.
The KMC issued the notice to a building named Elite Prime on 57, GJ Khan Road, and a well-known gated community, Home@57, among other structures in the Tiljala area.
One resident questioned the legality of the notice, given that he had taken a loan to buy the property. “I took Rs 26 lakh loan from the bank to buy this property. If this is an illegal building, how come the bank sanctioned my loan?” said businessman Mukti Lal Hoodati, who bought a flat for Rs 54 lakh in 2011 on East Coolia Road.
News Tag India reported that even Trinamool Congress (TMC) former municipal councillor Javed Ahmed Khan, who has been residing in a building in Topsia since 1995, received a notice.
“The illegal building does not have an address. We are shocked by the KMC notice issued to our address. Our building is authorised and our developer was different,” Asif Iqbal, resident of Home@57, told The Times of India.
Developers not reachable, say residents
According to the neighbourhood, local strongman and TMC supporter Raju Naskar was the developer for most of the buildings. However, he and other developers have not been answering calls, the residents alleged, intensifying concerns. “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?” a resident questioned.
70 pc buildings illegal: Civic official
The Tiljala-Topsia area, according to a civic official, comes under the Red Zone regarding illegal buildings. “Around 70 per cent of the buildings have been constructed illegally in the Tiljala-Topsia belt in the past two decades,” the official was quoted by TOI. Several thousand unauthorised structures will be demolished if the state government initiates the clearing of the Red Zone.
The news comes as West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari recently launched a “zero tolerance” policy against illegal construction across the state. It was initially sparked by a factory fire in the Tiljala area. Since then, the administration has initiated a statewide bulldozer demolition drive, which incidentally also led to the demolition of multiple Trinamool Congress (TMC) party offices.
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