Overview

• Three people were injured when part of a two-storey building in Maniktala collapsed on Saturday, with two children and a woman hospitalized at ESIC Hospital.
• In Kankurgachi, a portion of a similarly dilapidated structure caved in, injuring six people including two children and their mother, all treated at Maniktala ESIC Hospital.
• Both century-old buildings had long been declared unsafe by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation but remained occupied due to inheritance disputes that stalled demolition orders.
• At least half a dozen old buildings in Kolkata have given way under heavy monsoon rainfall over the past week, exposing vulnerabilities in aging infrastructure.
• Municipal authorities cannot forcibly evict residents from flagged buildings without consent, underscoring regulatory and enforcement gaps in urban safety management.