Authorities have started demolition of illegal leather goods manufacturing factory in Kolkata’s Tiljala area, where two workers lost their lives in a fire on Tuesday.
The move comes immediately after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department has been asked to demolish the multi-storey building on GJ Khan Road, in which five people have also sustained burn injuries. The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has already disconnected electricity to the building prior to the demolition.
“Two owners of the illegal factory — Sheikh Nasir and Samir Mahammed — were arrested. We have already asked Kolkata Municipal Corporation to disconnect the drinking water connection to that building,” Adhikari said.
A probe report found that the leather factory was operating illegally without an approved building plan and had failed to comply with basic fire and electrical safety norms, Adhikari said. He said the government has asked Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) to make a special audit in the areas so that electricity to illegal constructions or buildings without a proper building plan will be disconnected permanently.
“We have zero tolerance for such illegal construction or factories. Those who are doing production in such an environment will be asked to shift their location. Otherwise, all have to face such consequences.”
He also directed the urban development department and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to demolish the illegal structure within a day with assistance from the Kolkata Police. “KMC has also been instructed to disconnect water supply to such dangerous and illegal factories. There will be zero tolerance against illegal activities and corruption,” he asserted.
A family member of the arrested factory owners, however, said that they have all the documents to show that the factory was not illegally functioning. “We have all the official documents of the factory, but we were not given time to produce them in front of the administration,” a family member said.
According to locals, the fire broke out on the second floor of the building and spread instantly.
The bulldozer-led demolition drive in Kolkata drew parallels with similar crackdowns carried out in BJP-ruled states such as UP, where bulldozers have become a visible symbol of enforcement against unauthorised structures.