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KMC owed ₹4 crore in tax from single building on MG Road

The president and secretary of the tenants’ association were also present during the inspection.

KMC owed  ₹4 crore in tax from single building on MG Road

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (file photo)

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)’s property tax dues from a multi-storeyed building at 161, Mahatma Gandhi Road has reached a staggering Rs 4 crore.

The civic authorities will soon send notices to the owner to clear the dues failing which stern action will be taken.

A team comprising Assessor Collector ( North), senior officials of the Building department and their counterpart in the Fire and Emergency Services department, police officers and led by the Administrator General and Official Trustee, West Bengal Biplab Roy visited the premises on 10 March for a joint inspection.

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The president and secretary of the tenants’ association were also present during the inspection.

It was found during the inspection that a portion of the car park on the ground floor has been converted into a godown by an individual named Mohammad Nasiruddin. Md Nasiruddin is said to have leased the portion from one Rajiv Kankaria, but he has no permission to convert the car park into a godown.

The emergency exit has also been converted into a shops by Md Nasiruddin. As a result, firemen could not enter rear portion of the building in case of any emergency.

Half of the entrance to the basement has also been converted into godowns. There are no fire safety measures in the car parking lot and the basement. The side space of the building is also blocked and inflammable materials are kept in drums. On investigation the inspection team came to know that the side space which should have been kept open has been rented out to them.

The shops on the ground floor don’t have fire protection measures. There are two lifts out of which one is nonfunctional for more than a decade. Of the two staircases, one is closed from the 4th floor.

On the 5th floor a hotel has been opened without any valid license.

The kitchen of the hotel has been set up illegally on the roof, along with the rooms for the staff.

Mr Roy said the land of the building belonged to the office of the Administrator General and Official Trustee, West Bengal, which was leased out following instruction of the Calcutta High Court. Lease rent worth more than Rs 60 lakhs are due from the owner.

Senior officials of the Building department said the godowns had been constructed illegally and there were no provisions for fire protection. Any day any major accident may take place, they maintained.

A high level meeting comprising officials of KMC, Fire and Emergency Services department and police would be held soon.

The Assessment department would exact calculate the dues as many shops had been set up without any trade licence   

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