The Kolkata Municipal Corporation does not allow converting the space for a garage in an apartment into a shop or a store, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Saturday while responding to allegations from councillors that such conversions were rampant in the city.

Hakim said the civic body will demolish any such structure brought to its notice.

Ratna Sur, a Trinamul councillor from Ward 115, spoke about the problem at the monthly meeting of councillors at the KMC's headquarters on Saturday.

She said there were many instances in the city where the builder of an apartment showed a space as garage in the building plan but later converted it into a store. Sur said residents who purchased a flat in the apartment thinking it would be a residential building faced trouble later.

Sur alleged that in some places the owner of the store, when challenged by residents, showed a trade license issued by the KMC. "The KMC is allowing conversion of garage space into stores afterwards. This is creating a lot of trouble for the residents," she said.

"Why is the KMC issuing a trade license for a space that was converted illegally for commercial activity?" she asked.

While responding to her question, Hakim said the KMC did not allow the conversion of garage space. "If there are instances of conversion, bring it to our notice. We will demolish the structures," he said.

About the issue of trade licenses, Hakim said obtaining a trade license did not make the structure legal. "We are now issuing trade licenses online as part of our ease of doing business project. Paying the license fee does not mean that the structure will not be demolished if it is illegal," he said.

Hakim said in a select few cases where the proposal came from residents, the conversion is allowed only after all residents of the apartment give their no-objection statements to the KMC. "The conversion is done only if all residents agree that they have no problem with the conversion," he said.