Mayor Firhad Hakim admitted in a meeting with civic engineers on Wednesday that he had a “moral responsibility” for the collapse of the five-storey building in Garden Reach, but also told the engineers that it was their responsibility to identify and demolish illegal buildings.
Hakim told the engineers that unlike politicians they did not have to worry about a “vote bank” and they should not get swayed by any councillor or political leader trying to block the demolition of an illegal structure.
Metro was present in the room where the meeting was held.
The allegedly illegal building in Garden Reach collapsed around Sunday midnight, killing at least 10 people.
Engineers should confront political leaders trying to stave off demolition and ask them to give in writing that they do not want an illegal building to be pulled down, the mayor said.
Hakim said his head hung in shame at what had happened and engineers, too, should be ashamed of themselves.
Several engineers who attended the meeting later told this newspaper that they did not hear a word of assurance from the mayor that he would stand by them if a political leaders tried to put them in trouble for defying their diktat.
Hakim was not available for comment on this allegation. This newspaper tried to call him on Wednesday evening but he did not respond.
“I do have a moral responsibility,” Hakim said at the meeting, while lambasting engineers for the mushrooming of illegal structures in the city.
“All of you get your salary from the tax paid by people. You are accountable to them.”
The mayor asked for the sub-assistant engineer who was responsible for the area where the building collapsed. When he stood up, Hakim looked at him: “You have committed a grave injustice. Ten people have died because of you. Either you are incompetent or you are corrupt,” he said.
The issue of corruption came back repeatedly in his speech. Hakim said he sometimes felt that he was heading an inefficient and corrupt institution.
“We (politicians) have to think about the vote bank. You (engineers) do not have to worry about any vote bank. Why should you be bothered about who calls you? Do your duty. Follow the law,” he said.
“If a councillor or any political leader tries to block the demolition, ask them to give it in writing.”
Wednesday was the first time Hakim admitted to having any responsibility for illegal buildings in the city.
He is also the MLA of theCalcutta Port constituency, which includes the area where the collapsed buildingstood.
On Tuesday, Calcutta’s deputy mayor Atin Ghosh had said that “the political executive of the CMC cannot shrug off” its responsibility for the mushrooming of illegal buildings in the city.
Ghosh, a councillor from north Kolkata’s Hatibagan area, said that “sitting in a chair”, he could not disown responsibility for something that has happened in front of his eyes.
“There is a moral responsibility that I cannot deny,” he said.
The mayor had so far always defended councillors against any allegation of backing illegal buildings in their wards. He has been saying all along that it is not possible for councillors to know the existence of an illegal building in their areas.
Several engineers of the CMC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said councillors keep calling them frequently when they go to demolish any illegal structure that came up with the blessings of the leader.
