Two buildings on Tangra’s Christopher Road have tilted dangerously towards each other, sparking fears of yet another disaster among residents and prompting the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to decide to pull down both, if needed.

One of the buildings, a five-storey structure with light green exterior paint, has families living there for over a year. The other, a six-storey structure, is being constructed for about a year.

The furore over the two tilted buildings in Tangra broke out a week after some of the pillars of a five-storey structure in Vidyasagar Colony, near Tollygunge, crumbled and the structure leaned precariously.

KMC officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said none of the three buildings had a permit from the civic body.

Less than a year ago, 13 people were killed when an illegal under-construction building collapsed in Garden Reach’s Azhar Mollah Bagan in March.

Many residents in Tangra questioned the KMC’s role and how such structures could come up without the civic body or the local councillor knowing about them. “How can the KMC put us in such danger?” asked a woman.

The KMC issued a notice that it would demolish the under-construction building. It also asked the families living in the other building to vacate it immediately. Sources said there are plans to pull down the second building, too.

Two buildings lean towards each other on Camac Street on Wednesday. They have remained this way for many years.

A KMC official said the notice was issued under Section 411(4) of the KMC Act, 1980.

The section states: “...the Municipal Commissioner may, forthwith or with such notice as he thinks fit, demolish, repair or secure or cause to be demolished, repaired on secured, any such wall or building or thing affixed thereto, on the report of the Chief Municipal Architect and Town Planner, certifying that such demolition, repair or securing of the building, wall or thing is necessary for the safety of the public or the inmates of the building.”

Mayor Firhad Hakim told Metro on Wednesday evening that the KMC would wait for a structural engineer’s report.

“We will call them (the residents) to a hearing. Prima facie, it seems the buildings did not have a building permit, but we will ask them to produce a copy of the permit if they had taken permission from the KMC,” Hakim said, while on his way to Tangra.

A structural engineer is likely to examine the buildings on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Hakim told journalists that there are close to 30 tilted buildings in the city. At least one of them is in Alipore, he later told this newspaper.

This newspaper has reported about two buildings leaning towards each other on Camac Street. Both were constructed years ago.

Sandipan Saha, the councillor of Ward 58 (which includes the Tangra pocket where the tilted buildings are located), said a councillor cannot know which building is legal or illegal.

“A councillor does not have a list of legal buildings or which portions of a building are legal. If we suspect a building is illegal, we alert the building department of the KMC. If we visit an illegal building on our own, there will be allegations that we have ulterior motives,” he said.

“The KMC has simplified the building rules and permits for buildings on very small plots are issued within 15 days or a month. No one should erect an illegal structure,” he said.

Many Tangra residents told reporters that most of the buildings in the neighbourhood do not have a building permit and were raised without the KMC’s approval.