The Burdwan Municipality today issued a demolition order for a newly-erected eight-storey commercial building on the junction of a crowded market zone in the town.

The civic body today asked the building promoter and owners either to raze the structure at Kalibazar crossing to the ground within a fortnight, or face harsh penal measures. Paresh Chandra Sarkar, chairman, Burdwan Municipality, said: “The promoters of the building didn’t bother to seek permission from the civic body and didn’t take the requisite approvals for the building plan, which is a mandatory provision under the Bengal Municipal Act.”

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In cases like this, if buildings are erected without obtaining necessary permission, legal consequences like stop-work notice, prosecution and demolition orders are prescribed under the West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007. The rule also prescribes maximum height of the building from eight metres to 36 metres, based on width of means of access varying from 2.4 metres to 24 metres, step-by-step.

Sarkar added: “The building owner was summoned to come with the requisite papers but he didn’t turn up. So, we were forced to go for this measure.” Tuhinkanti Banerjee, the building owner, said: “My solicitor will face them in the court and this is the lone option that we’ve chosen to deal with the issue.”