KMC suspends all construction work across Kolkata till July 31
Times of India | 25 June 2026
Debashis Konar, Dipawali Mitra & Saikat Ray
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has suspended all construction work in the city until July 31 after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered an audit of all building plans sanctioned by the civic body during the Trinamool Congress tenure. The audit directive followed the Taratala collapse, which was attributed to a “faulty design”.
In an order signed by administrator Smita Pandey, the KMC said: “To ensure public safety, builders, developers, societies and individuals within KMC jurisdiction across boroughs I to XVI are hereby directed not to proceed with construction works till July 31, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.” The order effectively brought all private construction activity across Kolkata to a halt. The order said the move was necessitated by the Taratala mishap, which made it “evident that an emergency situation has arisen”.
Earlier, the chief minister said KMC engineers had found preliminary indications that the Taratala building plan was defective. “Technical experts are still examining the matter, and we expect their report tonight. I will inform the assembly about the steps already taken and the further action we intend to pursue,” he said.
He added, “I have instructed that all under-construction projects across the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area approved before our govt came to office be reviewed. I have already conveyed this in the presence of the KMC commissioner and the UDM (urban development minister). Later, if the urban development department decides, similar action may be taken in Howrah and Bidhannagar. But I have specifically directed KMC that all ongoing construction projects — particularly commercial buildings and those coming up on reclaimed water bodies — approved during the tenure of the previous corporation or government must stop work until July 31 and undergo an audit.”
The CM said: “For this audit, teams comprising officials from PWD, civil defence, fire services, Kolkata Police and KMC will be formed. The process will be guided by the chief secretary. The teams will inspect the site plan, building plan and the physical site before submitting a report. Projects related to Kolkata Metro and developments on leased land in the Kolkata Port area will also be brought under the inquiry in coordination with the concerned authorities. Projects found fully compliant will be allowed to resume work from Aug 1. Emergency service-related work will remain exempt.”
A preliminary probe by a team of KMC engineers into the shed collapse has pointed to a design failure. “The structural engineer, a former KMC buildings department official, registered himself as an architect with the department after retirement. He had signed the warehouse’s structural plan, which was sanctioned by the KMC buildings department in Jan this year. However, neither KMC engineers from Borough IX nor the architect visited the site during construction,” a civic official conceded.
Under KMC buildings department rules, the structural engineer or architect who prepares a building’s structural design is primarily responsible for periodically inspecting the construction site to ensure work complies with safety norms. “Any deviation from the sanctioned plan during construction has to be brought to the notice of KMC buildings department officials,” a KMC official said.