Kolkata, 19 May (H.S.): The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has issued notices regarding alleged illegal construction at two properties linked to Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress.

One of the notices has been sent in the name of Abhishek Banerjee’s mother, Lata Banerjee, while the second has been issued to an organisation named Leaps and Bounds, which is considered to be associated with the Trinamool leader.

The notices were issued by the building department of the civic body under Section 400(1) of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980. Under this provision, the Municipal Commissioner has the authority to order demolition or stoppage of construction if any structure is found to have deviated from the sanctioned building plan. However, prior notice to the property owner is mandatory before any such action is taken.

The notices mention two addresses located in Ward No. 73 under the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency — 121 Kalighat Road and 188A Harish Mukherjee Road. According to the civic body, construction beyond the approved plan has allegedly been carried out at both locations. The notices direct the concerned parties to remove the unauthorised portions within seven days.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation further stated that if the owners fail to remove the structures themselves, they must explain why the civic body should not take action. The corporation warned that if no satisfactory reply is received within the stipulated period, demolition could be carried out by the civic authorities with less than seven days’ notice, and the expenses would be recovered from the property owners. Authorities have also sought submission of sanctioned building plans and related construction documents.

The development comes days after Suvendu Adhikari targeted properties allegedly linked to Abhishek Banerjee during an election campaign in Falta on Saturday. Adhikari had claimed that he had obtained a list of Banerjee’s properties from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He alleged that “Leaps and Bounds” owned 24 properties in Kolkata and had constructed a palace-like office in Amtala, adding that all such assets would be scrutinised.

The name of “Leaps and Bounds” has surfaced multiple times during investigations into the teacher recruitment corruption case in West Bengal. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that crores of rupees linked to corruption and money laundering were routed through the organisation. In connection with the investigation, Abhishek Banerjee has also previously been summoned for questioning.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey