A day after the collapse of an under-construction building on shanties, four engineers, including assistant and sub-assistant engineers, who were served show cause notices yesterday, have been transferred to different departments of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday. They were given a deadline of 48 hours to answer.

Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Firhad Hakim today termed the issues of illegal construction as ‘social malady’ while ruing that he was unaware why it could not be contained.

Like yesterday, the mayor once again gave a clean chit to the councillors saying that identifying such constructions was not a task of the civic body’s representatives but the building department of the municipal corporation. “This is not supposed to be looked after by the councillors but the building department. Suppose we leave the councillors, those officials in the building department are supposed to see this. We have already taken action against them.”

Talking about the alleged rampant instances of illegal constructions in and around the area, Mr Hakim said, “Why it is happening there is not known to me.” Denying being aware of the illegal construction, he claimed, “I did not know this was being carried out there. Earlier, excuses were given. But such activities taking place even now, has become a social malady. What happened was very sad. From 2021, I have cautioned repeatedly to stop illegal constructions and to make the ACs and AEs responsible.”

The mayor informed that the other illegal constructions identified in the ward would be demolished. “Since I became the mayor, we have been able to demolish more than 800 buildings. Twenty five buildings have been demolished only in the Garden Reach area. But this has become such a social malady which I am unable to prevent but still trying to do so,” rued Mr Hakim.

While the mayor gave a clean chit to the councillors, the deputy mayor of KMC, Atin Ghosh, differed, saying that the people’s representatives and the municipal corporation could not avert the moral responsibility. “If such an incident would have taken place in my ward, I would have been answerable. There are several issues but at the end of the day, after a disaster and death of so many people, I cannot avert the moral responsibility,” claimed Mr Ghosh.

The municipal corporation has started hunting for illegal constructions in the area. A team of the structural engineers visited and inspected two buildings one of which is leaning on the other in Ward 134, where the mishap took place. As informed by the mayor, the leaning structure is to be demolished by the KMC.

As learnt from sources in the civic body, the team of structural engineers is to submit the report that will be sent for hearing and a decision would be taken in around seven days.