During the demolition activity at one of sites, the tenants intervened in the activity and engaged in an argument with the civic officials.
However, the tenants backed away when the officials warned them about the legal consequences for obstructing their work.
On the day of the demolition, the tenants of the dilapidated buildings were issued notices by the civic body, asking them to vacate the place.
The occupants of one of the buildings had already vacated the place before the demolition began.
When a tenant of one of the buildings sought more time to vacate the place, the civic officials told them that the building is extremely dangerous to live in and that heavy rainfall may cause more harm.
Chief city engineer Netradip Sarnobat said, “We have identified five more dangerous buildings which need to be immediately demolished. We are facing difficulty task to reach out to the owners as most of the buildings are occupied by the tenants who are not ready to evacuate. The tenants have been told that they may face forceful evacuation and further legal action if they do not allow us to take down the building.”
The tenants of these dilapidated buildings have demanded rehabilitation; however, the officials claimed that there is no provision to rehabilitate the tenants if the building is scheduled for demolition.
Sarnobat said that the tenants of the dilapidated buildings have claimed that they are the owners of the building and that they have been facing legal issues with the previous owners.
“We are told that we should approach the court. However, we have found that many did not have such legal disputes.
In such cases there is clear direction from top civic officials to demolish the building,” said Sarnobat.