KALYAN: The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) plans to begin demolishing 65 buildings in Dombivli this week on a court order. These buildings were declared illegal after developers constructed them using fake building plans and forged Rera certificates. About 6,500 homebuyers are likely to be affected.
Flat owners in these buildings are appealing for state intervention, claiming they were unaware of the scam. They bought their homes after reviewing copies of building plan authorizations, Rera certificates, and housing loans sanctioned by a nationalized bank. Some residents also received benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana upon buying these flats. Later KDMC declared the buildings unlawful, and the Bombay high court ordered their demolition. Residents blame the builders, KDMC officials for failing to take action during construction, and Rera authorities for issuing certificates without verifying the building plans.
The scam was exposed in 2022 when architect Sandeep Patil discovered that some builders were selling flats in illegal buildings by forging Rera certificates. Patil complained to KDMC, but when no action was taken, he approached HC. KDMC’s investigation revealed the builders created fake building plan documents between 2019 and 2022 and obtained Rera approval using these falsified documents. KDMC filed two FIRs, prompting Thane police to form an SIT. Fifteen were arrested, including some builders and others involved in creating fake plan documents and KDMC stamps.
Last Nov, while hearing Patil’s plea, HC ordered demolition. Shocked by the order, residents petitioned the court for regularisation time. They were given until Feb 3, 2025. During a court hearing on Feb 13, KDMC reported they had received regularisation applications from 38 of the 65 buildings, but all were rejected as they did not qualify under the regularisation scheme. The HC dismissed the residents’ plea and reiterated its demolition order. Additional municipal commissioner Yogesh Godse confirmed that would begin soon, with police assistance.
Rohan Gamare, a resident of the Sai Galaxy building in Dombivli, said, “In 2019, when this building was under construction, we bought our house after checking the documents. It was the responsibility of the ward officer of that area to stop construction. But KDMC not only failed to declare the construction illegal, but also provided water, electricity and other facilities.”
Another affected resident, Pranav Patil, said some buyers received benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana too. On Sunday, Sena-UBT’s Kalyan district president, Dipesh Mhatre, announced that a delegation led by Aditya Thackeray would soon meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on behalf of the affected families.
