VVCMC urges residents of 41 illegal buildings to apply for ‘proof of residence’ certificate

VASAI: The Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has so far received only six valid applications to issue the certificate. This certificate is essentially “proof of residence,” certified by the VVCMC, which proves that people purchased their flats in one of these 41 illegal buildings.
The corporation urged the residents of the 41 illegal buildings to submit their applications and documents at the earliest to obtain the certificate.
“We have received only six valid applications, and the certificates can be issued,” said Dipak Sawant, Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the VVCMC, who also leads the Controller, Unauthorized Construction (CUC) department.
Although he didn’t have the exact number of applications received by the ward office, he confirmed that most of the applications were missing documents.
A sales/purchase agreement with the developer and the basic KYC documents are required. This certificate confirms that they were defrauded by the illegal construction mafia and lost their earnings. In the future, when the govt comes up with any scheme for them, this certificate would help them.
On Wednesday morning, a crowd of around 200 residents staged a rasta-roko, protesting the demolition of these 41 illegally constructed buildings. Soon, additional force was called in and deployed to calm the situation. “Out of 41, 18 illegal buildings have been demolished,” said deputy commissioner of police, Pournima Chougule.
There is a continuous dialogue with the residents, and they are cooperating, she added. She also confirmed that sometimes, due to rumours, the crowd reacts. When asked what rumours the cops came across, she said, “The ongoing demolition can be stopped, we can pressurise the departments, there could be more legal options,” are some misguiding statements which have come to our attention.
These 41 buildings were illegally constructed over a reservation plot allocated for a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and a Dumping Ground. The Supreme Court ordered the demolition of these buildings after a case was filed.