Committee formed to do routine inspection of Kolkata's high-rises

In the backdrop of a fire in heritage Stephen Court building here, the city civic authorities today formed a committee to ensure high-rise buildings are subjected to routine inspections.
    
"A committee has been formed with representatives from CESC limited, fire-brigade, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Kolkata police to conduct routine inspection of high-rises above 14.5m and ensure that these conform to fire-fighting regulations and normal structural rules and pattern," mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said.
    
These buildings would be advised to correct structural defects.
    
Bhattacharya said the fifth and sixth floors of the fire-ravaged building were illegally built and regularised in 1984.
     
He said the damaged portion of the building would be pulled down after the debris were removed.
     
Leader of the opposition in KMC Javed Ahmed Khan alleged the mayor and the mayors-in-council were ignorant that 8 lakh out of the 12 lakh premises in the KMC area come up as illegal structures.
     
Residential buildings in the city had been granted trade licences flouting norms, he added.