HC directs the CBI to look into the unlawful construction of high-rise structures between Canal Street and Rajabazar.

Chief Justice R.V. Ghuge’s high court bench ordered the CBI on Friday to investigate claims that high-rise structures between Rajabazar and Canal Street were constructed illegally and to provide a preliminary report by October 14.

The purported increase in illicit construction in the city surprised the newly appointed chief justice. During a PIL hearing on illicit construction, Justice Ghuge stated that these structures could be utilised to reintroduce black money.

“Construction of illegal buildings in the Rajabazar, Maniktala, Beleghata and Canal Street areas is a matter of grave concern,” he said.

The bench questioned how these structures had appeared in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) region and why the authorities had not addressed the matter. It mandated that the illegal buildings be located as soon as possible and that the perpetrators be held accountable.

“The CBI, after identifying the illegal buildings, will also have to find out the persons involved who helped or made black money white with such illegal activity,” the bench said.

The bench also asked whether the civic authorities had taken any action despite receiving repeated complaints about illegal construction. “Why has it not taken any step yet?” he asked. “The investigating agency will have to find out the role of the KMC in the issue,” the division bench said.

According to sources, the Calcutta High Court is investigating more than fifty high-rise structures between Rajabazar and Canning Street. Slums and skyscrapers stand cheek by jowl along this area.

A task group to uncover illegal buildings was previously authorised by a division bench led by former Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam. The current bench is interested in the actions taken to carry out the court’s previous orders. The PIL petitioners’ attorney informed the bench that his clients had also written to the CBI to report the suspected illegal constructions.

According to the CBI’s attorney, the previous administration had refused to permit the agency to carry out an investigation. The division bench stated that on October 14, after receiving the preliminary report in the form of an affidavit, it will determine its next line of action. The Calcutta High Court ordered the police in May 2024 to help the KMC create a task force to locate and demolish the city’s unlawful constructions.