Audit to start today; govt asks builders to take care of workers
Times of India | 29 June 2026
Kolkata: The audit of under-construction high-rise buildings in Kolkata, Salt Lake, New Town, Dum Dum, Joka, Howrah and other areas will start on Monday, Kolkata Municipal Corporation administrator Smita Pandey and Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand told Credai functionaries on Sunday, adding that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for inspection and safety-quality audit of under-construction buildings will be ready by late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
The SOP will enable the audit of construction projects to begin from Monday. Credai, the umbrella body of leading developers in Kolkata, Bengal and the rest of the country, was briefed on the broad areas likely to be covered under the inspection framework.
The proposed SOP is expected to include verification of land and site suitability, structural and geotechnical review of project sites, independent audit of construction quality, materials and workmanship, and technical review of approved designs and drawings to ensure compliance with applicable building codes and safety standards.
During the meeting, the administration also asked developers to ensure the welfare of workers and labourers at construction sites where work has been suspended because of the audit. The labour commissioner, who attended the meeting, requested Credai to consider financial support for daily wage earners so they can sustain themselves during the suspension period.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said builders would provide food to workers at project sites during the closure period, after Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh raised concern over the fate of nearly 25,000-30,000 daily wage workers engaged at construction sites.
After the meeting, Credai officials said they would provide food and shelter to workers who choose to remain at the sites. They also said members would be urged to explore financial assistance for labourers, similar to the support extended during the pandemic in 2020.
“We have appealed to all members to extend support to labourers at sites where work has been paused by providing them with food, shelter and other necessary assistance,” a Credai functionary told TOI.
In an official statement, Credai said: “As a long-term partner of the govt in the orderly and responsible development of the city, we stand firmly with the administration in its efforts to prevent incidents like the Taratala warehouse collapse from recurring. We welcome the govt’s decision to set up a high-level committee to examine the incident and recommend measures for the prevention of such occurrences in the future. Credai Kolkata pledges its fullest support and cooperation to the committee for the ensuing safety-quality audit of under-construction buildings.”
LABOUR ISSUES FOR DEVELOPERS
With skilled and semi-skilled workers returning, remobilising labourers will prove a major challenge.
If workers take up jobs in other states, Kolkata’s construction sector could face a skilled labour shortage.
Restarting projects may be delayed even after approvals because labour teams will have to be reassembled.
SITES WHERE AUDIT WILL BE DONE
Areas under Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Rajarhat-New Town of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Pujali, Baruipur, Budge Budge, Maheshtala and Rajpur-Sonarpur, South Dum Dum, Kamarhati and Baranagar, parts of Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bally, and Pailan-Amtala area under Bishnupur I of South 24 Parganas