Notice, time relief? KMC mulls options after payloader reaches Abhishek Banerjee’s residence

KOLKATA: Even as Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sought additional time to reply to notices issued by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the civic body's assessment wing started the process of reassessing some of his properties in prime residential areas. Notices have already been sent to some of the addresses asking the owner/owners to funish details.

According to a civic official, the reason behind the decision to reassess the properties is to search whether deviations have taken place from the sanctioned building plans and if any residential property was converted into a commercial one without informing the KMC buildings or assessment department.

The KMC buildings department is separately probing the alleged constructional deviations from the sanctioned plans. The KMC assessment department had also sent notices seeking ownership and tax payment details.

"We have sent notices to properties that are either owned or co-owned by Banerjee, his family or his company with an intent to reassess these properties. Once reassessment is carried out, we may be able to mop up more revenue from these properties as the rate of property tax will go up," said a KMC official.

According to the civic official, the civic body has information that some of the prime properties have undergone multiple changes.

The KMC assessment department, last Wednesday, reached a property on Kalighat Road and handed a notice, seeking information on the property's owner or owners.

A senior KMC assessment department official said Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee owned a portion of the multistorey building. "Apart from checking the property ownership, we want to know whether the property has undergone changes and the owner/owners have kept it a secret," said the official.

Civic officials said the KMC launched parallel inquiries into 17 properties, listed as owned or co-owned by Banerjee, his company or family members. While the civic assessment department is reviewing property tax dues linked to the properties, purportedly linked to Banerjee, the buildings department is checking for irregularities or deviations from sanctioned plans.

According to a preliminary estimate, around Rs 18 lakh is yet to be realised from the listed properties. Of this, nearly Rs 12 lakh is reportedly due from two luxury flats in south Kolkata. An assessment department official said notices were being issued to the addresses with outstanding taxes.

KMC's assessment department had initially prepared a list of 42 properties, allegedly owned or co-owned by Banerjee, but the number was later cut down to 24 and finally to 17.

However, sources in the Trinamool Congress said that several party senior leaders were in touch with the family and were strategising the steps forward. "The process of collecting all the necessary legal documents and vetting them from the important quarters has begun. The lawyers are being consulted, and preparations for a legal battle have been formulated. This is not politics but vendetta politics," said an insider.