205 families from Daulat Nagar allege forced evictions, illegal demolitions by builder

The question of redevelopment began in 2017 after the TMC declared all buildings were dilapidated and issued a C1 certificate (dilapidated and needs to be demolished), but in 2022, they were certified as C2 (dangerous but can be saved with major structural repairs)

THANE: As many as 205 families, mostly senior citizens, who lived in the 14 buildings of the Daulat Nagar Cooperative Housing Society in Thane East, have been living in rented accommodations in the neighbourhood after being evicted from their homes since January. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), at the behest of a builder, Yash Ashoka, allegedly cut off water, electricity, and gas supply to force the residents out, the protesting residents said on Friday.

Thane, India - October -17, 2025: Social Activist Anjali Damania Visits Daulat Nagar kopari thane east Over Delayed Redevelopment Project Social activist Anjali Damania visited the Daulat Nagar housing complex in Kopri Thane on Friday to look into the long-pending redevelopment project of the society. The project has reportedly been stalled for several months due to a lack of consensus between residents and the builder. According to local residents, the builder has been exerting undue pressure, leading to growing dissatisfaction and tension in the area. In response, the frustrated residents invited Anjali Damania to intervene and help find a solution. During her visit, Damania met the residents, heard their grievances, and later interacted with the media regarding the issue ,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, October -17, 2025. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

The 14 ground-plus-three-floor buildings, spread across one lakh square feet, have 187 residential flats and 18 shops. The question of redevelopment began in 2017 after the TMC declared all buildings were dilapidated and issued a C1 certificate (extremely dangerous structure that needs immediate demolition). From then till 2022, four builders have been tasked and removed. On 7 April, 2022, the society’s committee got into a development agreement with Yash Ashok. Two years later, a third-party audit conducted by a TMC-empanelled structural auditor certified the buildings as C2 (dangerous but can be saved with major structural repairs) in a detailed 150-page report.

Vijesh Narwai, one of the residents, asked how the structures are still standing if they were declared C1 in 2016? “The society’s managing committee, TMC, and developers are conniving to financially benefit from the redevelopment of this massive plot near Thane station and the highway,” he said.

In December last year, the TMC disconnected necessary connections to expedite the eviction process, said residents. Half of them vacated their homes in December and January itself, and by April, everyone had left. Two buildings were first demolished in December, allegedly without a demolition order or notice from the civic body, under orders issued by Shankar Patole, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, who was later arrested on corruption charges on October 3. Since then, no construction towards redevelopment has taken place, said residents. A resident, who requested he not be named, said those evicted have signed no agreement consenting to the demolition. The middle-income group residents, who have shifted to rented flats nearby, claimed they are now burdened with paying high rents, as the developer has not paid transit rent to most of them. Shyam Chhotani, another resident of the society, said, “I’m paying ₹28,000 per month as rent for my flat now. Being a senior citizen with no other source of income, I am withdrawing money from my provident fund to manage expenses.”

Narwani further stated that the builder and managing committee converted the redevelopment into a cluster redevelopment scheme without informing the other society members. “If the developer is being allowed to construct seven flats in the place of one, why are the residents not receiving proportional benefits? Under a general redevelopment scheme, the developer would have been permitted to build only three flats in the place of one,” he said. This conversion is currently being challenged in court through an intervention application filed by 91 residents.

After repeated requests and protests, the residents sought help from activist Anjali Damania, who visited the colony on Friday morning. “I have held several meetings with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and the developer, Laxman Kadam, who is a close relative of Shinde, to resolve the issue,” Damania told HT. “When I reached the colony this morning, I received a call from Shinde. He has assured me that he would personally look into the matter and initiate the process of cancelling the Letter of Intent (LOI) given to the current developer. He also assured that the project will soon be handed over to another developer through proper government procedures.”

While Damania was meeting the protesting residents, another small group of former Daulat Nagar CHS residents were seen celebrating with a band after receiving cheques of ₹1 lakh each, dated October 17, 2025, from the developer as rent compensation. Prakash Kotwani, who received the cheque, said, “We received the rent today from the developer. I am confident that redevelopment work will begin soon, and we will finally get our dream homes.”

Repeated calls and messages to the developer’s representative went unanswered. The society’s secretary, Mahesh Karna, did not respond to calls from HT.