Kolkata building collapse: Illegal construction a menace, unable to contain it, says Mayor

In the aftermath of the five-storey building, allegedly being constructed by filling up a water body, falling on neighbourhood shanties in the thickly-populated Azhar Mollah Bagan area of Garden Reach, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the locality is filled with no fewer than 800 unauthorised houses.

"This business of illegal construction has turned into a social menace, which we have failed to contain. But I am trying. There are a few other buildings in the area which have been identified as illegal. We will take steps against them," Hakim told reporters.

Hakim, also the Minister for Municipal Affairs, also attempted to protect local TMC councillor Shams Iqbal amid allegations of collusion between him and the developer of the collapsed building, who was arrested.

"The job of checking illegal construction lies with the building department of the KMC and not with the councillor," he said.

Deputy Mayor of Kolkata Atin Ghosh, however, differed with Hakim.

"The local councillor cannot shy away from his responsibility as the incident has happened in his area," Ghosh said.

The BJP was quick to react, as it demanded the resignation of Hakim as the mayor of Kolkata.

"Firhad Hakim should immediately resign if he has agreed that he has failed to control the menace of illegal construction. The TMC leaders and the local police are hand in gloves with the real estate syndicate," BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.

Hakim on Monday admitted that the structure that collapsed was unauthorised, but passed the buck on to the previous regime of the state.

"It (constructing unauthorised buildings) has been a trend here and also in some other areas since the Left Front era," Hakim said.

Responding to the allegation, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and former Kolkata mayor Bikash Bhattacharya wondered what the TMC was doing during its 12-year rule even if such an accusation was considered true for the sake of argument.