The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday started partially pulling down illegal portions of a five-storey building in Karaya against which a woman had complained to Firhad Hakim during the “Talk to Mayor” programme last Saturday.

Civic officials said a demolition team pulled down large sections of the ceilings and punched gaping holes in the walls of the illegal portions of the building, exposing the interiors to the elements.

“We have pulled down large sections of the ceilings and have made gaping holes in the walls of the three illegal floors of the building,” said a KMC official.

“As the building is located in a congested area, the demolition team had to be very cautious while pulling down parts of the three floors that were constructed illegally. The demolition will continue for a few days.”

The builder had a permit to construct two floors, a KMC official said. The remaining three, the official said, were erected illegally.

This is not the first time that a demolition team partially pulled down illegal portions of the building.

In February, a KMC team had partially pulled down several illegal sections of the Karaya building.

However, the builder had obtained an injunction against the KMC’s demolition order from the municipal building tribunal. The tribunal had directed the KMC not to take any coercive action till July 8.

“The builder had used the window to repair the structure. When another KMC demolition team visited the site in June, the builder showed them the injunction order and the team had to retreat,” said a civic official.

On Wednesday afternoon, Calcutta High Court shot down a plea by the owners of the building seeking an extension of the injunction.

“The court refused to intervene and said the KMC was free to demolish illegal portions of the building,” another KMC official said.

Mohammed Amin, an owner of the building who lives on the second floor with his brother, said if the KMC pulled down their floor, he would be homeless.

“We will be reduced to pavement-dwellers overnight. The ground and the first floors are occupied by my relatives and there is no more space there. The KMC teams have told us that they will demolish our floor, too,” said Amin.

On Saturday, a woman from Karaya had complained to mayor Hakim that the builder had rebuilt portions of the building’s upper floors that the KMC had partially pulled down on the ground that those had been constructed illegally.

Hakim had said in reply that it was a “slap in the face” for the KMC.

The woman had lodged her first complaint against the Karaya building with the mayor in January.

She had alleged that she had been assaulted for raising her voice against the illegal structure.

Thirteen people died in March when an illegalbuilding under construction in Garden Reach hadcollapsed.

KMC officials have admitted that there are manyillegal structures acrossthe city.