Kolkata: Montu Saha, the owner of the property off the EM Bypass that once housed the TMC headquarters, has started cleaning the building as the first step toward reclaiming his property.Saha—the owner of Modern Decorators, the company that previously secured most of the contracts to build makeshift stages for TMC events—owns the four-storey building at A-P-1/A Canal South Road, which he rented to the party in 2022 to serve as its temporary headquarters. Although the tenancy agreement lapsed in late 2025, Saha struggled to contact any party leaders. Consequently, he wrote a letter to the Pragati Maidan Police Station requesting his property back.Sources said that Saha has spoken with TMC functionaries, who assured him the party would vacate the building by July, as previously promised. He also ensured that the portions of the building not covered by the tenancy agreement would be vacated immediately so he could use them.Saha and his son both declined to comment on this. However, Inamur Rehman, the family’s lawyer, said, “Only a portion of the ground, first, and second floors were under the tenancy agreement. The third floor, fourth floor, and terrace were never rented to them. The family visited the site on Tuesday and decided to resume their business on the third and fourth floors. Additionally, the portion of the ground floor that was not part of the agreement will now be utilized by the owner.”TOI visited the site on Wednesday and saw renovation work by the family was already underway on the third and fourth floors. Although Saha had only rented out the first and second floors, the other two floors were also being used by the TMC to store materials for party functions.The party has finally started shifting multiple green chairs, banners, and posters that had been stocked on third and fourth floors before the 2026 assembly election. A team of workers has been assigned to clean and vacate these two floors so the renovations can proceed. During their visit to the property, Saha’s son, Amit, stated that they wanted the building back for maintenance in order to reopen their business. Before renting the property to the TMC, the family ran a hotel there; however, they paused operations during the pandemic due to mounting losses and subsequently leased the space to the TMC, which was shifting its headquarters from the Topsia Road plot.The property was initially rented to the TMC in 2022 under a one-and-a-half-year lease. This was later extended for another two years before finally expiring in late 2025.
