KOLKATA: The Kolkata civic authorities on Monday initiated a probe into the “legality” of properties owned by Abhishek Banerjee and some of his associates, with civic officials going to many of the Trinamool national general secretary’s properties, including ‘Shantiniketan’ on Harish Mukherjee Road, in the afternoon and pasting notices under Section 401 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act.The notice is KMC’s first step when it starts a probe into alleged irregularities in a property. “We have pasted the notices on several properties owned by various individuals, including Abhishek Banerjee,” a KMC official said. The civic board has been under Trinamool’s control since 2010.Trinamool seniors said the KMC move had upset the Banerjee family, which has decided to fight it legally. Sources said several party netas are in touch with the family and are strategising the steps forward. “The process of collecting all necessary legal documents and getting them vetted… has begun. Lawyers are being consulted, and preparations for a legal battle have started. This is not politics, but vendetta politics,” said a party senior.A KMC buildings department team on Monday reached Harish Mukherjee Road and knocked on the doors of ‘Shantiniketan’.After failing to get any response from the Diamond Harbour MP, the officials pasted a notice under Section 401 of the KMC Act 1980 on the building’s wall, a KMC source said.Such a notice is issued when at least a part of a building is constructed without the civic body’s approval.“Serving such a notice also paves the way for demolition. Here also we will strictly go by rules. If major violations are noticed, we may need to initiate the demolition process,” said a KMC official.Sources in the buildings department said notices were pasted on several buildings owned by Banerjee or his aides. Later in the day, the notice on ‘Shantiniketan’ was found torn off the wall.The civic assessment department has identified 42 properties that are either owned or co-owned by Banerjee. The department will find out whether tax is pending for any of these properties.“We have been asked to assess records of each property owned by Banerjee and associates and collect uncleared property taxes,” said an official.In the evening, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said properties owned by Banerjee and three others were under the scanner. He asserted that the govt would put the “corrupt ones” in prison.Addressing a rally at Vardaan Market, the CM talked about the crackdown on persons “accused in corruption cases” and mentioned names of individuals whose assets in the city are being investigated.“Abhishek Banerjee has 14 properties in the name of Leaps and Bounds, four in his name and six in his father’s name. Raju Naskar (promoter) in Beleghata has 18 properties. Sona Pappu has 24 properties, Javed Khan’s son has 90 properties,” Adhikari said.“Santanu Sinha Biswas (DC of Kolkata Police) and Sujit Bose (former minister) have been arrested. The BJP govt will put every corrupt person behind the bars,” Adhikari claimed.
