The Suvendu Adhikari-led West Bengal government on Monday intensified pressure on Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after
Kolkata civic authorities launched a probe into several properties linked to him and his associates. Teams from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) visited multiple properties connected to the Diamond Harbour MP, including his Harish Mukherjee Road residence ‘Shantiniketan’, and pasted notices under Section 401 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980. The notice marks the civic body’s first formal step in probing alleged construction irregularities in a property. “We have pasted the notices on several properties owned by various individuals, including Abhishek Banerjee,” a civic official said. A KMC buildings department team reached ‘Shantiniketan’ on Monday afternoon and attempted to contact the occupants before pasting the notice after receiving no response. Under Section 401, such notices are issued when portions of a structure are suspected to have been built without civic approval, potentially paving the way for demolition proceedings. “We will go strictly by the rules,” a KMC official said. Later in the day, the notice pasted outside ‘Shantiniketan’ was found torn. Officials said the civic assessment department has identified 42 properties allegedly owned or co-owned by Banerjee. Authorities are now examining records linked to the properties and checking pending municipal dues. “We have been asked to check records of each property owned by Banerjee and his associates and collect unpaid property taxes,” another official said. Speaking in the evening, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed several properties linked to Banerjee and other individuals had come under scrutiny. “Abhishek Banerjee has 14 properties in the name of Leaps and Bounds, four in his name and six in the name of his father. Raju Naskar in Beleghata has 18 properties, Sona Pappu has 24, and (MLA) Javed Khan's son has 90 properties,” Adhikari said. Senior Trinamool Congress leaders alleged the civic action was politically motivated and said the Banerjee family was preparing for a legal fight. “This is not politics, but vendetta politics,” a party insider said.
