G+4 buildings out of audit ambit but state adds Kolkata fringe areas

Kolkata: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on Friday widened the ambit of the special audit of building plans and the construction pause at private high-rise and commercial projects to include more municipalities around Kolkata, but clarified that residential buildings up to G+4 and routine renovation or plan extension will remain outside its scope.The audit-construction pause was announced by the CM after an under-construction warehouse collapsed near Taratala on Wednesday. Initial investigation has blamed a design flaw for the collapse, which has so far claimed 16 lives.The audit, which will continue till July 31, was initially announced for areas under Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Rajarhat-New Town of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Pujali, Baruipur, Budge Budge, Maheshtala and Rajpur-Sonarpur.

It has now been extended to South Dum Dum, Kamarhati and Baranagar, parts of Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bally, including riverside developments, and the Pailan-Amtala area under Bishnupur I of South 24 Parganas.“For parts of Howrah Municipal Corporation and Bally, MOS Umesh Rai and his team will identify the wards and areas. For Pailan-Amtala, South 24 Parganas DM will issue the guidelines,” Adhikari said.

Reiterating that the audit will apply only to under-construction private high-rise and commercial properties, the CM said all govt projects, infrastructure work, railways, metro rail, national highways and state highway projects will be outside the audit ambit.“For residential projects, only G+5 buildings will be treated as high-rise structures. Residential building renovation or plan extension does not come under this purview,” Adhikari said and added that routine household repair or expansion work, including balcony repairs, kitchen construction or similar extensions, will not be affected.Officials will examine under-construction projects for major violations, recommend rejection where required or suggest rectification measures to protect sanctioned plans. Projects found compliant will be cleared as soon as their reports are submitted, without waiting for the full audit to be completed.“For those structures that are completely fine, clearances will be granted as and when their reports come in.

There is no need for everyone to wait together. Hindering urbanisation is not our objective,” Adhikari said.The audit committee has also been asked to conduct a separate review of fire systems and lightning arresters in high-rises and commercial buildings within 90 days. The govt will also audit water bodies and issue dengue-related directions for open construction sites where stagnant water may pose a risk, the CM said.Referring to concerns over the fate of 25,000-30,000 daily wage earners who will be without work till the projects are cleared, the CM said the KMC commissioner has been asked to discuss the issue with the developers. “I have requested the builders to provide food and other necessities to the labourers till their site is cleared by the audit team,” he said.