Nearly five months after Virar building collapse, VVCMC suspends asst commissioner

He was arrested this week by the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police crime branch for allegedly failing to act against the unauthorised structure despite being aware of serious irregularities that made it unsafe

MUMBAI: Nearly five months after the illegal four-storey Ramabai Apartments in Virar crashed on August 28, killing 17 residents and injuring several others, the Vasai–Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has suspended assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) Gilson Gonsalves. He was arrested this week by the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police crime branch for allegedly failing to act against the unauthorised structure despite being aware of serious irregularities that made it unsafe.

Suspended assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) Gilson Gonsalves

Gonsalves, AMC of the corporation’s C ward, is accused of ignoring the dangerous condition of the 12-year-old building and not initiating mandatory action against the contractor or landowner, including issuing proper notices under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act and ensuring evacuation of residents. Crime branch officials said they have traced digital and physical communication showing that while Gonsalves had issued a preliminary notice describing the structure as dangerous, he “did not take any further steps contemplated under law, nor register an FIR under the MRTP Act”.

Senior police inspector Shahiraj Ranaware of the crime branch said Gonsalves, during interrogation, failed to explain why he had not served the contractor or owner notices under the MRTP Act or acted on blatant construction violations. He has been arrested under section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and remanded to police custody for five days.

Ramabai Apartments collapsed on a rainy night on August 28, killing 17 people. A case was initially registered against contractor Nital Sane and landowner Parshuram Dalvi, who died before the incident. Sane was arrested for culpable homicide amounting to murder and remains in judicial custody.

A technical survey conducted by the state public works department (PWD) as part of the investigation pointed to severe design flaws and procedural lapses within the municipal administration. According to the chargesheet, which includes statements from 115 witnesses, Sane admitted that he and Dalvi executed the project without hiring an architect and had converted 1-BHK units into 2-BHK flats without technical guidance before selling them.

To assess the quality of the construction, the crime branch asked the PWD to prepare a fresh plan based on Sane’s disclosures and the building’s original floor plan. A PWD official said the structure “was not strong enough to stand for even two years”, despite having stood for over a decade. He said the building was not built “in the legally correct way”, noting that the foundation dimensions and scale design were inconsistent with the height of the structure. “There was only a 3-metre gap between the foundations of the two adjoining buildings, causing uneven settlement and contributing to the collapse,” he added.

Police said the VVCMC had conducted a structural audit in 2018 under then assistant commissioner Subhash Jadhav, who found the building unauthorised but merely issued a notice instead of filing an FIR, evacuating residents or initiating demolition. Four months before the 2024 collapse, Gonsalves had also conducted an audit but allegedly issued only a repair notice, despite the building’s evidently unsafe condition. Both Jadhav and Gonsalves have been named in the chargesheet.

Jadhav has sought anticipatory bail. On Thursday, the VVCMC commissioner suspended Gonsalves for dereliction of duty.