Day after disaster, sudden dip in construction in danger areas

Kolkata: A day after the illegal building collapse in Garden Reach turned the scanner on the mushrooming of unauthorised construction in pockets of the city, there was a discerning dip in construction activities in several areas that have been categorised as red zones by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) as the number of unsanctioned buildings in these areas is high.According to various witnesses, work in construction sites started as usual on Monday morning but workers were instructed to leave abruptly around 11 am. Construction materials dumped on the road were removed and the structures were covered.TOI visited several such construction sites on Canal West Road, Narkeldanga, Rajabazar, Harsi Street near Rashidia School, Ismail Ishaque Lane off Central Avenue and many other pockets in the vicinity.Several people engaged in construction in these areas said activities have been put on hold “for the time being”. Workers have been told to leave the sites and will be called back when a decision to resume work is taken. According to them, “some anomalies” in the method of construction or pure jealousy of “business rivals” might create problems “which is why it is better to suspend activities now”.“Work resumed as usual on Monday morning. ‘Phir upar se phone aaya ke sab kaam band karo aur worker log ko jane ko bolo’ (there were urgent orders from higher-ups to stop the work immediately and tell the workers to leave),” said a 24-year-old man, who is a “site coordinator” of an under construction building in Narkeldanga.On Ismail Ishaque Lane, too, one construction site was deserted. A youth who supplies material to the site said activities will be suspended for the time being. “Abhi mahol bohot garam hai. (There is a lot of pressure currently. Construction will resume as soon as the situation eases),” said the youth over a phone call.But why must construction activities in pockets several kilometres away from Garden Reach be suspended in such an abrupt manner?“Garden Reach ke baad nazardari bohot barh gaya hai. Aur apto jante hain ki thoda sa plan se idhar udhar to hota hai nahi toh koi margin hi nahi rahega. Bas ab yahi dua hai ke jald se jald Garden Reach wala mamla khatam ho to dhanda phir shuru karein (There is a lot of surveillance after the Garden Reach incident. We have to deviate from the original plan sometimes otherwise the business becomes unviable. We are praying for dust to settle on the Garden Reach matter so that we can resume work),” said a promoter in central Kolkata.
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