The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is looking to introduce amendments to the KMC Act to impose stricter penalties on unlawful property developers, including making certain offenses non-bailable and punishable by up to 10 years in jail and fines up to INR 50,000. The KMC Mayor recently met with municipal officials to discuss the amendments. Once approved by the KMC House, the amendments would be sent to the state government for final approval. The proposed changes aim to deter unscrupulous promoters by clarifying the ambit of legal construction activities and introducing longer jail terms.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is looking to introduce stricter penalties for unlawful property developers through proposed amendments to the KMC Act. This includes making certain offenses non-bailable and punishable by up to 10 years in jail and fines up to INR 50,000. According to civic officials, Section 401(A) of the KMC Act will need to be amended.
Recently, KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim met with the Municipal Commissioner and senior officials from the buildings and law departments to discuss putting forward the proposed amendments to the KMC House for approval.
Once passed, the amendments would be sent to the state municipal affairs department, Chief Minister's secretariat, and ultimately to the State Assembly for approval. Hakim said this tougher legislation will serve as a deterrent against unscrupulous promoters once passed into law.
The KMC wants to introduce longer 10-year jail terms as offenders facing less than 7 years are often granted bail. The amendments would also bring more clarity around what constitutes legal versus illegal construction activities.
Officials also discussed guidelines around the extent to which construction deviations from approved plans could be regularized versus considered major violations not eligible for regularization. The proposed changes aim to address loopholes exploited by developers and stem from a recent building collapse in Garden Reach.
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