Bengal Assembly passes KMC (amendment) Bill

The West Bengal Assembly today passed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) bill, 2017, which would give legal power to the corporation to ensure repair and maintenance of old and dilapidated buildings in the city.
State Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim said that the city had several dilapidated buildings which needed urgent repair.
"Through this bill, we will urge the KMC to form a committee and examine the buildings so that repair work can be undertaken soon. The KMC will be given a time frame under which these building will have to be repaired," Hakim said.
The bill stated, "It is felt that mere demolition of a dangerous building under relevant provision of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, will cause hardship to its occupants."

"It may not be conductive to public interest in the urban areas, suffering from acute shortage of accommodation and therefore opportunities should be given to the owners to reconstruct the structures in order to protect the lives and property of the occupants within the jurisdiction of KMC," it stated.