Bulldozer knocks down Garia’s Kamdahari clock tower after court declares structure illegal

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Thursday began demolishing a clock tower located in Kamdahari in the Garia area following a court order declaring the structure illegal. The demolition drive took place after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued a strong warning against illegal constructions in Kolkata following the deaths of two workers in the Tiljala factory fire incident.

According to local residents, the clock tower had been constructed illegally, and petitions seeking its demolition had earlier been filed before the court. The court subsequently directed that the structure be demolished immediately. Municipal authorities deployed a hydra machine to carry out the demolition of the clock tower, which is regarded as Kolkata’s third-highest clock tower and is located under Ward No. 111 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

According to allegations, municipal workers had previously attempted to demolish the structure but were forced to retreat due to resistance from local Trinamool Congress workers. Following the change in government, Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey reportedly instructed officials to implement the court’s order. The Director General of the municipality’s Building Department subsequently ordered the demolition process to proceed.