KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday suspended work on all under-construction commercial projects approved by the previous TMC government till July 31.The CM ordered a comprehensive audit of such projects following the warehouse collapse in the city that claimed five lives, news agency PTI reported.The chief minister announced the measures after visiting the site where an under-construction warehouse collapsed in the Taratala area of Kolkata. He said preliminary reports submitted to him suggested that the sanctioned building plan of the collapsed warehouse was flawed.“I have directed the Kolakat Municipal Corporation (KMC) commissioner and the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department to stop work at all under-construction commercial buildings approved by the previous government, including projects where permission was granted after filling up water bodies. All these will undergo an audit,” the CM said.“Construction work at such sites will remain suspended till July 31,” Adhikari said at a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna.He said the audit exercise would later be extended to the Howrah and Bidhannagar municipal areas. The audit will be conducted by a multi-agency team comprising officials from the public works department (PWD), civil defence, fire and emergency services, Kolkata Police, and KMC.“The team will function under the guidance of the chief secretary. It will examine site plans, building plans, and conduct spot inspections before submitting its report,” he said.“The objective is to ascertain whether all prescribed norms and safety regulations have been followed. Every project falling under the scope of the audit will be examined,” he added.The CM also said that a special committee constituted by the state government under the supervision of the chief secretary will oversee the exercise.Adhikari said the audit would also cover projects constructed on land leased from Kolkata Metro and the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA).However, he clarified that construction related to essential services such as hospitals and fire brigade infrastructure would not be affected.The announcement came hours after an under-construction warehouse collapsed, killing five people and injuring several others. A major rescue operation involving police, fire services, civil defence, and Army personnel was carried out at the site.“Initially, I was told by the KMC that the building plan was given a sanction on January 17 this year. The owner of the land is SMPA, and the lease was given to Sambhunath Behera as a partner of Behera Brothers. I have received an initial report that the plan was faulty. Technical experts are examining all aspects and a detailed report will be submitted shortly,” he said.Adhikari said that, based on his preliminary assessment, neither heavy rainfall nor soil conditions appeared to have caused the collapse.“I am not an engineer, but what I saw at the site suggests that the structure did not collapse because of yesterday’s rain or soft soil. Had that been the reason, the structure would have bent before collapsing,” he said.Adhikari alleged that several such warehouses had been approved during the previous regime through corrupt practices.“Everyone knows how such godowns were sanctioned in exchange for money. We will have to rectify things gradually,” he said.He informed that further details regarding legal action and compensation for the victims would be announced in the Assembly on Thursday.(With agency inputs)
