Kolkata: A team of KMC officials and Kolkata Police made futile attempts to seal a Keshab Chandra Sen Street address on Saturday evening to execute the Calcutta High Court order which had directed the civic body to seal 10 new or upcoming constructions in the city by 2 pm on Saturday.
Till late in the evening, the officials could not make much progress as owners of flats in the G+6 building in ward 37 “put up resistance” and said they had nowhere to go.A KMC buildings department official said the civic body couldn’t seal the building as they found the building fully occupied.
“According to rules, we can seal a property only when it is vacant. The building in question was occupied. We have served a notice to the inhabitants and returned,” said a civic official who was part of the team that visited the property.
Sources said the civic body on Saturday morning wrote to the OC, Amherst Street PS, to assist the civic team in carrying out the court order. Five plain clothed cops were at the spot. But they could not make any headway owing to resistance from the residents.
A division bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya had issued the directive on Friday while hearing a petition complaining that the “illegal constructions” on thika tenancy land, Wakf land and a plot identified as enemy property.
TOI visited the Keshab Chandra Sen Street address on Saturday afternoon minutes before the deadline given by court came into effect. A man who identified himself as Asif and a flat owner in the building said no construction has been going on in the building.
“There are several families living here for months. If somebody had a problem with property they should have raised an alarm as soon as the construction started. So many families have purchased flats here. Now their future is uncertain because of this issue,” said Asif.
The building also has water and power connection which the flat owners claimed were provided by agencies only after verifying documents. The building also has an elevator that is operational. Govt officials said they were trying to talk to residents. “We are trying to explain that this is an HC order,” said an official.
Till late in the evening, the officials could not make much progress as owners of flats in the G+6 building in ward 37 “put up resistance” and said they had nowhere to go.A KMC buildings department official said the civic body couldn’t seal the building as they found the building fully occupied.
“According to rules, we can seal a property only when it is vacant. The building in question was occupied. We have served a notice to the inhabitants and returned,” said a civic official who was part of the team that visited the property.
Sources said the civic body on Saturday morning wrote to the OC, Amherst Street PS, to assist the civic team in carrying out the court order. Five plain clothed cops were at the spot. But they could not make any headway owing to resistance from the residents.
A division bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya had issued the directive on Friday while hearing a petition complaining that the “illegal constructions” on thika tenancy land, Wakf land and a plot identified as enemy property.
TOI visited the Keshab Chandra Sen Street address on Saturday afternoon minutes before the deadline given by court came into effect. A man who identified himself as Asif and a flat owner in the building said no construction has been going on in the building.
“There are several families living here for months. If somebody had a problem with property they should have raised an alarm as soon as the construction started. So many families have purchased flats here. Now their future is uncertain because of this issue,” said Asif.
The building also has water and power connection which the flat owners claimed were provided by agencies only after verifying documents. The building also has an elevator that is operational. Govt officials said they were trying to talk to residents. “We are trying to explain that this is an HC order,” said an official.