KMC summons structural engineer who signed Taratala warehouse plan
Times of India | 12 July 2026
Kolkata: The structural engineer who signed the plan of the ill-fated under-construction warehouse that collapsed, killing 16 workers, on June 24 was on Saturday summoned to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters for questioning.
The engineer, who retired recently, was empanelled as a structural engineer with the civic body. He was grilled by the civic brass on why he did not insist on soil testing and ask the promoters to strictly adhere to the design plan.
Amit Gupta, the lawyer pleading the engineer’s case, said the structural engineer was not consulted by the promoters and started the construction without waiting for the KMC’s supervision at the site. “The promoters started the construction in complete violation of the building plan. Though the KMC had sanctioned a conditional plan, the promoters took advantage of the plan and started the construction in a hurried way, keeping the civic authorities in the dark,” said Gupta.
Sources in the KMC buildings department said that since the structural engineer had submitted the plan on behalf of the promoters and signed it, the negligence on his part might prove costly and his registration as a structural engineer may be at stake.
Earlier, TOI reported several alarming discoveries by the KMC and SIT regarding the construction of the three-storey warehouse. Following the tragedy, Kolkata Police and the SIT arrested six individuals, including the land lessee and site supervisor, on charges of culpable homicide and negligence.