West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced a sweeping suspension of all under-construction projects - largely commercial - falling under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) jurisdiction. The work stoppage will remain in effect until July 31 to enable comprehensive audits and verification of safety standards.
The directive, issued hours after a major under construction godown collapse in Taratala that claimed 3 lives and trapped workers, aims to identify and address regulatory gaps in the city's construction sector. Projects cleared during the audit will be permitted to resume from August 1.
Authorities will particularly examine constructions built on land reclaimed by filling water bodies. Teams will cross-check building plan sanctions granted by the previous government as well as the quality and compliance of actual on-site work.
“Only those structures that fully meet safety, environmental, and regulatory norms will be allowed to proceed,” sources close to the administration indicated, reflecting the government’s stance on preventing future tragedies.
“All under-construction building work within the KMC jurisdiction will be suspended till July 31, pending audit. The KMC along with the Urban development department has been instructed to the audit. Emergency services will be exempted. Even construction on metro land and port land will be audited. The sanction given by the previous government will be verified”, said CM Suvendu Adhikari during a press conference after inspecting the Taratala disaster site.
Taratala Collapse Exposes Vulnerabilities
The announcement comes in direct response to the afternoon collapse of a three-storey under-construction warehouse in Taratala’s Transport Depot Road area. The site, on land belonging to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA), was leased to a private developer for a warehouse and cold storage facility. The KMC had sanctioned the plan in January 2026.
Chief Minister Adhikari, who visited the spot, confirmed that three people lost their lives, 21 were rescued, and around 12-18 workers remain feared trapped under heavy debris. Multi-agency rescue operations involving the NDRF, Indian Army’s Eastern Command, SDRF, police, and fire services are continuing, with the port authority providing additional cranes and support.
While the precise trigger for the structural failure is still under investigation, the incident has raised serious questions about possible lapses in oversight, adherence to approved plans, and construction practices.
The Chief Minister hinted that similar verification drives could soon extend to Howrah and Bidhannagar municipal bodies to ensure uniform enforcement of building regulations across Greater Kolkata.
This initiative aligns with the state government’s ongoing efforts to curb illegal and hazardous constructions following earlier incidents. It also signals a push for greater accountability in approvals granted during the prior regime.
Developers have been asked to extend full cooperation to KMC inspection teams. The administration has stressed that public safety remains the top priority, with the audit expected to restore confidence in the city’s building ecosystem. Rescue operations at Taratala are expected to continue through the night, and further details on both the collapse probe and the city-wide audit will be released in the coming days.
