KMC insists on compliance with labour & water use norms before high-rise nods
Times of India | 16 July 2026
Kolkata: KMC has turned down a request from developers to give a provisional go-ahead to resume work on under-construction projects, where the audit team has not detected any safety-related issues but have found non-compliance in matters of labour and water.
Representatives of Credai, an umbrella organisation of leading developers in Kolkata and the rest of Bengal, met civic officials on Wednesday to discuss the progress of the audit on the under-construction sites in the city. Work on high-rise projects has been suspended since the collapse of an under-construction warehouse at Taratala last month in which 16 people were killed.
Of the 700-odd high-rise projects (above five storeyes) where work has been suspended, 344 are in the KMC area. Of these, only 200 submitted forms in which details had to be provided, including sanctioned plans, architects and structural engineers involved. Of the 136 sites that 16 borough level inspection teams had visited, only 11 projects were cleared. This prompted a visit by Credai officials who were concerned about the delay in project clearances.
A Credai official said while all developers needed to comply with statutory norms, including those on labour and water usage, these were not critical to structural safety, and hence, they hoped KMC would accept an undertaking for compliance within a month, keeping in mind the livelihood of thousands of workers, project delays and impact on home buyers. But sources said civic officials were firm on the matter and wanted the projects to comply before issuing the clearance.
Developers said they would address the issue of labour registration, but there were concerns over projects held up due to issues related to groundwater use. The developers pointed out that unless KMC supplied water for construction, shutting down deep tube wells would stop work. “We have conveyed our decision on the resumption of constructions, subject to adherence to certain norms. Credai representatives have communicated their views on issues that need further discussion. We are not in favour of holding up the housing and other crucial projects but want to ensure safety and other construction-related rules are not flouted,” said a KMC buildings department official.
Sources said some projects were also held up as structural calculations had to be done. A team from Jadavpur University will also carry out structural testing and soil testing if required.