Vasai residents reject Railways’ Rs 5 lakh offer for decades-old homes

Residents and shopkeepers operating from six housing complexes near Vasai station are locked in battle with Railways for better compensation before the scheduled demolition of their 40yearold homes to make way for the BorivliVirar additional rail corridor which will segregate outstation and express trainsThe six buildings in Vasai listed to be demolished to make way for the rail corridor are Sriram Complex the Shiv Shakti Sahyog Adarsh Jagdish Kripa housing societies and a part of Champa SadanArun Malviya Vasai residentldquoThe proposed acquisition targets fully constructed residential and commercial buildings and it appears to ignore the ownership rights lawful possession and associated entitlements of residentsrdquo said Vasai resident Arun MalviyaldquoThe compensation offered is entirely inadequate and does not reflect the actual market value Our members have purchased these properties at prevailing market rates that include land construction taxes registration and builder premiums We demand that compensation be assessed at current ready reckoner rates or actual purchase price mdash whichever is higherrdquo said another resident Joel DrsquoSouzaNikunj Soni another resident said ldquoThere has been a violation of rules and no public notice has been published in two newspapers No personal hearing or consultation has been conducted with affected parties These serious omissions violate principles of natural justice and due process Hence we demand the immediate suspension of the process and redressal of our grievances We call upon the authority concerned to withdraw the acquisition notices immediately suspend all further proceedings and disbursement of compensation and engage in direct negotiation with the flatunit owners individuallyrdquoldquoWe are open to considering fair marketaligned compensation or alternatively rehabilitation within a 500metre radius with equivalent facilities and connectivity We reiterate that our properties carry not just financial but also emotional and strategic value Fair compensation must be calculatedrdquo he addedIf the Railways acquire this property and give us a compensation of just R5 lakh each our lifetime earnings will become zero We will be on the streets and will face problems finding a house at this price We will have to move to farther regions like Palghar Boisar where it will be difficult to get even a oneroom kitchen or anything at this rate This is a prime location we are next to the stationrdquo a resident saidldquoYou want to acquire the land you can take it We are not opposing the project But you are taking the houses of middleclass citizens and by not offering the right compensation at existing market rates you are breaking their backbonerdquo another resident saidWhat is the projectThe project of laying additional lines between BorivliVirar 5th and 6th lines is being built at a cost of R218402 crore will be a gamechanger segregating suburban and outstation trains between Virar and Bandra TerminusStatus of worksEstimates designs and drawings have been prepared with a drone survey finalising the alignment and approvals in place for all the general arrangement drawings of all important major and minor bridges At this stage the contract for construction of service buildings and quarters has been awarded while the construction of relay room at Mira Road signal office tool room RRI route relay interlocking room and Railway Protection Force barracks at Dahisar new station building at Naigaon and quarters at Vasai Road and Bhayander are in progress Modifications at Naigaon station including the construction and extension of foot overbridges and platforms are also in progressOfficial SpeakRailway officials said they would look into the matter as the land acquisition process was being undertaken in collaboration with the state government and the district collectorateldquoThe compensation for land acquisition is carried out strictly as per the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 The final assessment and determination of compensation is done by the competent authority appointed by the district collector The MRVCrsquos role is limited to depositing the compensation amount to revenue authorities for disposal project implementation coordination and demarcation of land required for the projectrdquo an MRVC spokesperson told middayAug 2024When the process of acquiring the land startedatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params