Police sources on Tuesday said around five buildings in the Lake Gardens area were undergoing renovation and work in all had been suspended to avert a rerun of the violence that broke out on Monday.
A promoter who was engaged in dismantling one of the five buildings told The Telegraph that the police told him to suspend work immediately.
“When I asked the police when I could resume work, I was told ‘let the matter be resolved’,” the promoter said on Tuesday.
The otherwise peaceful neighbourhood in south Kolkata is dotted with old buildings that need repairs or remodelling.
The owner of the building in front of which two groups — both allegedly affiliated to Trinamul — clashed on Monday wanted to rebuild it with modern amenities. The clash, which broke out near Trinamul MP Saugata Roy’s house, resulted from a row related to the demolition of the building.
At least four similar projects were under way in the area.
The owner of one of the five buildings where work has been stopped said it was difficult to stop repairs halfway through. “This is going to delay our project and cause a lot of inconvenience,” he said, requesting anonymity.
The local Trinamul Congress councillor (of Ward 93), Mausumi Das, said she was aware of the stop-work order from the police. “The police have imposed the restriction. It has nothing to do with the (Kolkata Municipal) Corporation,” she said.
Ten persons have been arrested in connection with the clash.
Police sources said the real problem was related to a dispute between two factions of Trinamul that are active in the ward.
“There was a dispute between the two groups over who will take the doors, windows, bricks and mortar from the building that was being demolished. These fetch good money. This dispute should be resolved at the political level,” said a senior officer at Lake police station.
Sources close to the family that owns the building — 162/D 590 Lake Gardens — where the clash broke out had told The Telegraph that a group of men allegedly affiliated to the ruling party had hounded the family to award the contract for demolition to them.
After being pursued for more than a year, the family handed the contract to them.
“It is disappointing for the family to stop work now... it started after so much talk and trouble,” a person close to the family said on Tuesday.
Councillor Das, when asked if she would help in the resolution of the dispute, said: “I am not involved in all this.”
