September 22, 2025: The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) has begun demolishing two dangerously dilapidated buildings in Vasai (West), following a Bombay High Court order that cleared the way for redevelopment. The structures, Pushpanjali and Deepanjali Cooperative Housing Societies (CHS), are being razed after months of legal disputes between residents.
In August 2025, the High Court directed members opposing redevelopment to vacate, ruling that once a building is deemed unsafe, residents cannot block demolition or delay redevelopment supported by the majority. The court further held that a minority cannot override decisions endorsed by most society members.
On February 28, 2025, VVMC had classified building numbers H-1 and H-2 of Deepanjali CHS and H-3 and H-4 of Pushpanjali CHS at Diwan and Sons Housing Enclave on Ambadi Road as C-1 structures—unfit for habitation and requiring urgent demolition. The societies, nearly 40 years old, comprised four buildings with 112 members. Of these, 101 residents vacated after a developer was appointed, while 11 refused to move out.
According to society members, the dissenting residents demanded more than the 20% additional space offered by the developer, despite most members accepting the proposal. The opposition group later approached the High Court, but the court ruled against them last month, observing that while residents may raise objections through legal channels, it cannot come at the cost of human lives or by stalling demolition.
The VVMC has since begun demolition with bulldozers at the site. Debris from Pushpanjali CHS and one Deepanjali CHS building is already visible, while the second Deepanjali structure is scheduled for demolition in the coming days.
The ruling has reaffirmed that redevelopment decisions backed by the majority, especially in unsafe buildings, cannot be delayed by a minority group.
Source: Hindustan Times
