‘Illegal’ notice pasted on Abhishek’s properties

KOLKATA: The civic authorities on Monday initiated a probe into the properties owned by Abhishek Banerjee and some of his associates, with officials going to several of the TMC national general secretary’s properties, including ‘Shantiniketan’ in the city, and pasting notices under Section 401 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980.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,” said an official.A KMC buildings department team reached Harish Mukherjee Road and knocked on the doors of ‘Shantiniketan’ in the afternoon. After failing to get any response from the Diamond Harbour MP, the officials pasted a notice under Section 401. Such a notice is issued when at least a part of a building is constructed without the civic body’s approval and paves the way for demolition. “We will go strictly by the rules,” said a KMC official. The notice on ‘Shantiniketan’ was found torn later in the day. The civic assessment department has identified 42 properties that are either owned or co-owned by Banerjee. “We have been asked to check records of each property owned by Banerjee and his associates and collect unpaid property taxes,” said an official.In the evening, CM Suvendu Adhikari said properties owned by Banerjee and three others were under the scanner. “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.Trinamool seniors said KMC’s move had upset the Banerjee family, which had decided to fight it legally. “This is not politics, but vendetta politics,” said a party insider.