Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) buildings department has found an ‘illegal’ structure atop Shantiniketan, a residential building on Harish Mukherjee Road reportedly owned or co-owned by Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, his family, or his company.According to a civic official, the illegal construction detected during an on-site inspection a fortnight ago has majorly deviated from the sanctioned building plan. Officials said this could warrant the demolition of the ‘unauthorised’ portion. The visiting team also found several minor deviations that can be regularised against penalty, said a civic official.According to KMC rules, the civic body will now have to issue a notice to the legitimate owners, asking them to raze the illegally built structure within a specified time. If the owners fail to do so, the civic body might send its team to carry out the demolition.Sources in KMC said a hearing was conducted by the executive engineer of the buildings department at the borough IX office on Aug 5. “We conducted the hearing as directed by Calcutta High Court. The hearing was based on a physical verification of the said building on Harish Mukherjee Road. We have found a major deviation which will be communicated to the owners,” said a KMC official.The lawyer representing the owners said he had not received any notice from the buildings department yet and hence, was in the dark about the ‘gross violation’ of the building rules. “After conducting a hearing, the KMC buildings department will need to communicate the results in writing. But we have not received any such notices,” said Indrajit Bhattacharjee, the lawyer representing the owners of Shantiniketan building.“We go by the provisions of the KMC building rules while deciding the fate of any building that deviates from the sanctioned plan. A demolition order is given depending on the degree of deviation,” a KMC official said.Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had categorically said that the properties of Trinamool functionary Abhishek Banerjee were under scanner. He said that the govt will put the “corrupt ones” behind bars.
