Virar building collapse: current and former municipal commissioners among 7 officials summoned by Crime Branch

The police officer further said that at least 10 more officials from the water, property tax, and building departments would be named in a supplementary chargesheet to be filed in the case by the end of November.

“In the next week, between November 17 and 22, the officials of the property tax department who initiated the legalisation of the tax and started collecting it from the residents will also be summoned. Apart from that, the building department will inquire into this as well,” the officer added.

The crime branch last month filed a 4,000-page chargesheet in the Vasai magistrate’s court. It contained several pieces of evidence along with the statements of 115 people, including residents of the Ramabai Apartment, the injured, officials of various departments like the police and the VVCMC, and doctors.
The FIR was registered against eight people, including three landowners and the contractor, Nital Sane. The landowners—Parshuram Dalvi, his son Sadashiv, and his wife—had died before the incident. The police arrested five people—Sadashiv’s two daughters, their husbands, and Sane. While Sane is still in jail, the four others were granted bail.

A building without an architect or a plan
During the investigation, the crime branch found that the landowners had hired the contractor to construct the building without any architect or a proper architectural plan. 1BHK flats were allegedly converted into 2BHK without proper civil advice.

As per the structural reports found during the investigation, the construction quality was very poor, and the building’s foundation was not properly designed and constructed. The building was originally constructed between 2008 and 2009 with 54 flats and four shops, and it was later found that some parts were modified in 2012. VVCMC officials had not conducted a structural audit of the building.

Jadhav, the assistant municipal commissioner, found that the whole building was unauthorised. He issued notices to the landowners and the contractor, but did not take any legal action or register a case against them. Despite knowing that the building is illegal, officials provided a water connection and collected property taxes between 2009 and 2024.

In 2025, when Gonsalves took over as municipal commissioner, a structural audit was conducted, and it was found that the building was not in good condition and was dangerous. He issued notices to the landowners asking them to repair the building, said the police officer.

Jadhav and Gonsalves were earlier summoned but refused to turn up, citing health-related reasons. Both were summoned again for Monday, but they asked for permission to appear on Tuesday, the officer said.
After a portion of the four-storey building collapsed in Chamundanagar, the FIR was registered on charges including under sections 52, 53, and 54 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, and section 105 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Later, section 56 of the Act was added in the case.