Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) authorities have started demolishing illegal multi-storey buildings in the city. The authorities concerned have listed the buildings which were constructed without design and approval of the plan in the Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) area.
If the builders do not remove the illegal buildings or part of the buildings on their own, it will be demolished by the city corporation, said the mayor of the city.
According to sources, an 11-storey residential building in Deshwalipatti, under Ward No 11 of the Cumilla City Corporation area, is being demolished. With the approval for the five-storey building, the building was illegally extended to 11-storey. The CCC authorities started demolishing illegal portions of the building on October 13.
Sadequl Islam is the owner of the building named 'Talukdar House'. He took approval to construct a five-storey building before upgrading Cumilla Municipality to City Corporation. A year and a half after the construction work started, he built six more floors on the five-storey building.
The CCC authorities sent several letters to the building owner to stop work as the construction work continued violating the building code. The CCC authorities then put up a banner in front of the building declaring the building dangerous and abandoned. But the owner of the building did not give importance to this. Construction could not be stopped even by disconnecting power and water lines.
Last Monday, the city corporation authorities again issued a notice to the owner of the building. The owner was asked to stay on the site of the building on Tuesday morning. But on Tuesday morning, the CCC authorities, including the mayor, went to the building and did not find the owner.
Cumilla City Corporation surveyor Abul Kashem Bhuiyan said that the building owner did not comply with the regulations even after giving multiple notices. “So action is being taken. The demolition work of the extended part of the building started on Tuesday morning”.
Cumilla City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Safiqul Islam said, "We have compiled a list of buildings in the city that have been constructed ignoring the design." Action is being taken against these buildings. The process is somewhat slow due to manpower crisis. However, it will continue, he added.
Cumilla City Corporation Mayor Monirul Haque Sakku said, "Many people in the city have built extra-floors beyond the building's approval. If no one removes part of these illegal buildings on their own, those will be demolished by the city corporation. Besides, action is being taken against the unauthorised buildings".
