‘Deviation from building laws increased illegal constructions’

In the wake of the under-construction building collapse at Garden Reach area killing 12 persons, the Bengal chapter of the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI) has accused the state administration, especially Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), of “gross and arbitrary deviation” from construction norms under building laws.

On Tuesday, while addressing a Press conference, Dipankar Sinha, a council member of ITPI’s state chapter and a former director general (Town Planning) of KMC told the media that rampant illegal constructions, such as the one in Garden Reach, is a direct result of arbitrary administrative circulars authorising additional construction of houses outside the norms. “Excess constructions beyond the permissive limit of built-up areas, partially or completely, cannot be regulated under any circumstances under the law,” he said.

Noting how KMC’s Building

department engineers were blamed for the collapse of the illegal structure in Garden Reach, he said: “Modification of rules by departmental circulars are beyond the ambit of any officer of the local authorities Such circulars have created hesitations among lower-level employees in taking strong actions against illegal constructions,” he pointed out.

Further, it was pointed out that as per rule, every city, including Kolkata is supposed to have an ITPI representative in the Municipal Building Committee that is constituted for approval of construction of houses as per building laws. However, the KMC allegedly did not appoint any ITPI members for long while the post of Chief Municipal Architect and

Town Planner at KMC has been vacant since 2014. “We recommended names of experienced senior planners who can voluntarily assist the KMC to prepare the building rules of the city in a scientific and environment friendly manner but the proposals were ignored. We wrote to the Municipal Commissioner on the same,” Sinha said, and added: “Proposals for preparing a report by us on the impact of the laws concerning the 3500 dangerous buildings in the city and its residents were also ignored.”

The ITPI’s state chapter made several proposals for considerations which include that Land Use and Development Control Plan (LUDCP) should be prepared scientifically in compliance with the Town Planning Act and noncompliance with it should be recognised as cognisable offence in sanctioning construction. It also said that the appointment of sufficient educated, experienced and registered urban planners, architects should be made mandatory.