Kolkata: The West Bengal Urban Development Department has asked municipal bodies in and around Kolkata not to permit the construction of over nine-storeyed buildings or those taller than 25.5m.
The Department is currently awaiting clarity over some rules being framed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which has published the draft Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions caused by Buildings and Trees, etc) Rules, 2025.
The draft comes around a week after the Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crashed near Ahmedabad airport. It states that the rules will be notified after 21 days and suggestions and objections can be raised in the intervening period.
The Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim has confirmed that municipal bodies in Bidhannagar, Dum Dum, New Town, Madhyamgram or New Barrackpur will not henceforth permit high rises taller than 25.5m.
However, there is no clarity on the fate of the under-construction buildings that breach this height limit.
According to many, the Airports Authority of India has a very scientific online system for giving the height clearance.
It is the illegal structures near the airport, constructed without the required height clearance, that pose the problem.
Kolkata is divided into different zones depending on their distance from the airport and the Behala Flying Club.
At times, permission needs to be taken even for a three-storeyed building near the Behala Flying Club.
