KOLKATA: Around 60 residential and commercial high-rise structures built in the last three years in New Town are now under scrutiny by the government’s high-level audit committee. This comes as the verification process begins for all G+5 high-rise buildings and commercial establishments.
According to the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the government, all civic corporations and urban local bodies involved in the audit of high-rise buildings must first compile a list of cases where building plan approvals have been granted in the past three years. The focus will be on under-construction projects such as hospitals, nursing homes, educational institutions, IT facilities, and assembly buildings with large public gatherings.
Officials indicated that several significant commercial projects are ongoing in New Town. “Estimates suggest that approximately 55 to 60 high-rises (G+5 and above), predominantly commercial, have obtained building plan approvals in New Town over the past three years, and construction is in progress,” noted an official.
Previously, there have been complaints regarding residential buildings being used for commercial purposes, leading to substantial violations. The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) is currently conducting an internal assessment of nearly 1,000 buildings in New Town for potential breaches of land-use regulations. These buildings are suspected of exceeding the permissible limit of 40% for commercial use or operating without valid permissions.
