November 10, 2025: The collapse of Ramabai Apartment in Virar, which claimed 17 lives on August 26, was the result of an amateur design and poor construction practices, according to the 4,015-page chargesheet filed by the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police Crime Branch in the Vasai magistrate’s court. The report revealed that the four-storied building was planned by landowner Parshuram Dalvi without professional consultation or hiring an architect. Dalvi and contractor Nital Sane allegedly used substandard materials during construction. Dalvi has since passed away, while Sane has been arrested and remains in custody.
The chargesheet, supported by 115 witness statements, states that the duo converted one-bedroom units into two-bedroom flats without expert input and sold them to buyers. To confirm the lack of technical planning, the Crime Branch asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to redraw the building plan based on Sane’s version. “The structure was 12 years old, but after examining the plan, we found that it was not even strong enough to stand for two years,” said a PWD officer. The officer added that the foundation and scale design were inconsistent with the building’s height and that the three-metre gap between adjacent buildings led to uneven settlement and collapse.
The structure, built in 2012, was declared unauthorised by the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) in 2018, but no action was taken. Both then-assistant commissioner Subhash Jadhav and current assistant commissioner Gilson Gonsalves have been named in the chargesheet for negligence. A Crime Branch officer said, “He issued a repair notice without demolishing the building when it was dangerous.”
Victim Anil Jovil, who lost three family members, said Dalvi and Sane “played with the lives of residents by constructing houses which were no stronger than mud houses.” Activist Dinesh Kamble added that survivors will request the Chief Minister to include the victims’ rights in any future redevelopment of the site.
Source: Hindustan Times
