Approximately 8,000 residents of Jai Ambe Welfare Society in Achole, Nalasopara East, are facing potential homelessness as the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) proceeds with the demolition of 41 unauthorized buildings. Eviction notices have already been issued to around 2,500 families.
VVMC Assistant Municipal Commissioner Mohan Sankhe stated, “We have written to the police for protection and to MSEDCL to disconnect electricity to the illegal buildings before the demolition begins. The political party Aagri Sena and the NGO Hindavi Swarajya Pratishthan (HSP) are working to reassure anxious residents about potential rehabilitation. HSP member Fahim Khan highlighted the plight of many residents, saying, “The builders have cheated thousands of people. Several are daily wage workers living below the poverty line. If they are evicted, they will have nowhere to go.” Khan noted that the NGO plans to meet with VVMC officials to discuss rehabilitation solutions.
The land in question spans approximately 30 acres, covering survey numbers 22 to 30 in Agarwal Nagar, Nalasopara East. Some portions are privately owned. Sitaram Gupta, a former corporator with the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi party, and his son, Arun Gupta, began construction on the site in 2006 without proper permits or occupancy certificates. Some structures were demolished between 2010 and 2012 due to their unauthorized status.
Gupta was arrested by the Achole police in September 2022 on charges of land-grabbing and illegal construction. He allegedly submitted a fraudulent completion certificate for one of the buildings from CIDCO and VVMC.
In June 2023, an FIR was filed against Gupta and his associate, Vijay Tambat (alias Vijay Salvi), by the municipal corporation. Both were declared absconding and face charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, criminal trespass, and forgery.