Repair of 12 Bowbazar buildings possible: Mayor

KOLKATA: The 12 buildings that have developed cracks after the latest subsidence in Bowbazar last Friday may not have to be demolished. Initial survey carried out by structural engineers indicate that repairs can be carried out.

Replying to a query posed by Bowbazar councillor Biswarup De, who wanted to know the extent of damage to the buildings, mayor Firhad Hakim said the buildings on Madan Dutta Lane that had developed cracks were likely to survive the cave-in after extensive repairs.

However, a final call would be taken after a team of experts from Jadavpur University that had been tasked to study the damage and recommend repairs or reconstruction submits its final report. It has already submitted an interim report that recommends reconstruction of 71 buildings damaged in the first two cave-ins in August 2019 and May 2022.

TOI had on Thursday reported how the ground had sunk by as much as 40mm since the subsidence in 2019.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier expressed her sympathy with residents of Bowbazar who have been rendered homeless because of the repeated cave-ins. “Will the residents need to shift from their homes often? What will be its impact on the children?” Banerjee had remarked.

De had posed the question on the fate of buildings in Bowbazar at the KMC monthly meeting. He also enquired about the findings of the JU report on the effects of soil settlement at the Bowbazar Metro construction site.

“While the work for demolition of buildings that have been declared unsafe is under way and reconstruction is being planned, we have reasons to believe that the recent damages suffered by some buildings are not beyond repairs,” said Hakim. De said hundreds of Bowbazar residents staying in the Metro construction zone were living in fear and were apprehensive of further damage to properties.