‘Where do we go?’ lament families as power utility snaps supply
Times of India | 23 January 2025
12 Kolkata: Retired advocate Samar Nandi, 73, cursed himself for the decision to sell his old flat and buy a new apartment at Pushpanjali Residency last year, just because the previous flat did not have a lift and the new one did. On Wednesday evening, he stood on the road outside, wondering what to do as the CESC disconnected power supply to the illegal building.
"My wife underwent knee surgery last year, and thus she had difficulty walking up to our earlier first-floor apartment. This is why I sold the old flat and spent my entire savings to buy this new flat on the second floor as it had a lift. But now, even before we could decorate our flat, we were forced to come onto the road. Where will we go now?" cried Nandi.
Kiran Routh (55), who works in the kitchen of a popular social club in the city, said she pieced together years of savings and took loans from multiple relatives to buy a 650 sq ft south-facing 2BHK flat on the third floor of the building. "We used to live on rent in the area, and when this flat came up, I spent my entire savings. It was a dream come true to buy such a flat at a cheap price. I knew the flat was illegal but thought finally I could give a decent life to my children. I can only curse my luck now," said Routh.
Equally upset were the Bahadurs, who sold their old home to buy a 650 sq ft 2BHK flat on the fourth floor of the building. "We used to live in a small home, and we bought this new one as we were planning to get our son married. But all our plans have gone haywire," said Dipali Bahadur. Her son Sani took the day off from work to solve the mess. They had called up the local councillor, promoter, and local club members for help but in vain. "Since they cut off the power supply, we have no choice but to shift to a relative's home now," said Sani.
First-floor resident Rina Sengupta, who also owned the plot where the building has come up, said she would stay at her home despite all evacuation orders. "I live here with my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter and will not leave until the KMC or the promoter gives us an alternate place. I called the local councillor, but while he initially tried to duck the responsibility, he later said he would try something. The promoter has also gone incognito. We have nowhere to go and will not leave our home," said Sengupta, who was living in the first-floor flat despite the electricity being cut off.