The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) for its officials to handle instances for illegal construction.
The civic body issued a notification today with a 10-point list of SOPs that have been designed for detection and demolition of unauthorized constructions at the initial stage. For this, the KMC officials and the engineers have been asked to follow certain SOPs. According to the notification, the sub-assistant engineers are supposed to go out in the field to detect the unauthorized constructions every day. After detection of unauthorized construction, a ‘stop work’ notice u/Sec.40I of the KMC Act, 1980, is to be served with a copy to the OC of the concerned police station to take necessary action to stop the authorized construction.
The copy of the intimation is to be sent to the concerned deputy commissioner of police and joint commissioner of police at Lalbazar. The assistant engineer concerned has been asked to strictly monitor the sub-assistant engineer for preparing the Demolition-Sketch Plan (D-sketch Plan of the detected unauthorized construction. The AE is also to lodge FlR u/Sec. 401A of the KMC Act, 1980, if the unauthorized construction continues defying stop-work notice u/Sec 401of the KMC Act, 1980.
In case of delay, the matter is to be taken further to the police commissioner by the municipal commissioner. The civic body has also fixed a deadline of 15 days for taking action on pending notices under Section 401 of KMC Act, 1980 from the date of notice.
Notably, the municipal corporation, which is considering adding Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code to the present norms of 401 and 406 of the KMC while demolishing an illegal construction. This, as informed by the mayor of KMC, Firhad Hakim, could take some time as it needs amendment at the state Assembly.