Kolkata: KMC on Thursday demolished a stall illegally constructed on the ground floor of the Indian Coffee House building on College Street. KMC will conduct a drive against three more illegal stalls that were locked on Thursday.
Civil officials said space for the stalls was carved out of the century-old building's thick, load-bearing walls, hollowed out in sections.
The stalls also encroached on the pavement. A month ago, Coffee House regulars spotted the wall being demolished and alerted cops, who stopped the work. A complaint was filed with KMC, which issued a stop-work notice and filed a police complaint. The building on 15, Bankim Chatterjee Street has a Grade I heritage tag as the Indian Coffee House is located there. The Graded List mentions that "no external change will be permissible" in a Grade I structure. According to locals, after Chuckervertty, Chatterjee and Co Ltd, a shop on the ground floor facing College Street, vacated the premises, the new owner began scooping out the thick walls to create space for small stalls.
A civic official said the new owners did not seek KMC's permission for the work. "Any work in a Grade I heritage building requires permission from the KMC heritage conservation committee. Not only was this not sought, but the stalls that were constructed were also illegal," the official said.