KMC declares tilted Tiljala building unsafe

KOLKATA: The building department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Friday declared the tilted building on Shibtala Lane at Tiljala unsafe.

The decision was taken following submission of a report by a group of civic engineers who conducted a series of surveys on the stability of the tilted structure on Wednesday and Thursday.


In the report submitted to the director-general of the KMC building department, the engineers mentioned that under no circumstances, the inmates of the building, who had been evacuated from the building on Wednesday evening, could be given permission to re-enter the premises considering the structural instability of the G+ IV building that the sudden tilt has caused to it.


According to the KMC sources, while 23 families have been evacuated from the building that has tilted and 12 families from the adjacent building, have been temporarily dislodged so far.


The KMC officials, who inspected the tilted structure from its terrace, have expressed their opinion in favour of demolition of the building to avert a major accident in future.


“Declaration of the building as unsafe has been the first major step. Tomorrow we will let the tenants know about the status of the building by putting up a board in front of the building. The next step will be counselling of the tenants—preparing them for a possible demolition of the unsafe structure,” said a KMC building department official.


However, a section of civic engineers well versed with the locality felt that the civic body might face a stiff resistance.


However, the KMC building department on Friday stressed the need to act tough on a section of promoters who have been constructing hi-rise buildings without bothering to take permission from the civic body.


“We have spotted some under-construction buildings in the locality where the building has tilted. Our building department engineers are extremely worried over the structural stability of these upcoming buildings. We need to check the quality of the foundation of these buildings. We have decided to ask the local police station to cooperate with our team of engineers to escape a section of promoters’ fury,” said a senior KMC building department official.


A civic building department official said that the KMC had already issued several notices in and around Tiljala area asking a section of promoters to stop construction of G+ IV and G + V buildings as those were being constructed illegally.