File affidavit on remedial measures taken to rehabilitate people: HC
KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file a report in the form of an affidavit concerning the remedial measures taken by the state to rehabilitate people affected on account of collapse of the under construction building in Garden Reach.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by a BJP leader Rakesh Singh alleging that there are about 50 such illegal buildings in Garden Reach. The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice (CJ) T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya directed the authorities concerned to file a report in the form of an affidavit before it on the next date of hearing. The court said it will next hear the matter on April 4.
During the hearing of the matter on Thursday, CJ T S Sivagnanam directed: “The state shall endeavour to rehabilitate those persons displaced and provide them necessary shelter and support them with adequate ration material so
The court was hearing a PIL filed by a BJP leader Rakesh Singh alleging that there are about 50 such illegal buildings in Garden Reach
that they are able to take care of themselves.” The court was informed by the petitioner’s lawyer that those who died owing to the collapse of the under-construction building were residents of shanties around it. Further, C J Sivagnanam said that there must be a monitoring cell, be it for Panchayats or municipal bodies to monitor these things. “It is a difficult task no doubt. Although rules exist, there needs to be enforcement of it.
Enforcement mechanism is unavailable. Suppose you obtain a building plan permission and based on that you commence construction. You get half a lorry loaded with sand and another with bricks to the construction site and immediately two emissaries will come. The councillor will know about it. However, if I obtain no permission and I dump the sand and bricks, nobody will come because I volunteered myself to the emissary informing them this is what I will do. Nastiest thing is these people construct such shabbily and sell it up,” he said.
On the allegation that the illegal construction was on a waterbody, the CJ said: “Allegation is this was a waterbody. Unless deep piling is done construction cannot take place. Percolation of water will continue.”
Meanwhile, the promoter of the building that collapsed in Garden Reach had allegedly used substandard construction materials which is one of the main causes of the collapse. Sources said the promoter Md. Wasim reportedly confessed during interrogation that he pressured one of the owners of the land as he was not willing to hand it over for construction. Also the construction work was started without a plan.
Sources informed that the forensic experts primarily opined that apart from using substandard construction materials, the pillars were constructed without a proper soil test. The pillars were not able to hold the weight of the building and thus it collapsed. After interrogating Wasim, cops came to know that he was constructing the building as per his thought.
Even the pillars were different from each other.