Vasai residents slam poor compensation, no rehab in eviction drive

Over 250 families residing in six residential buildings in Anand Nagar Vasai West have been served a final eviction notice by the Railways under the BorivliVirar 5th and 6th line extension projectldquoOn June 17 the Railways issued a final public notice giving only 60 days to vacate the buildings Residents allege that the compensation being offered is unjust mdash barely enough to buy puffed rice and chickpeas mdash a mockery of fair valuationrdquo said local resident Arun Malviya ldquoThey are offering the same amount of compensation for commercial shops and residential houses which is very unfairrdquo added another resident Chandrakant ShedgeResident SpeakldquoWe live in a properly registered housing society and have been here for 35 years I own a 1 BHK flat right next to Vasai station and all theyrsquore offering me is R18 lakh What can I do with such a small amount Where will I go The Railways already took land on one side of our building to build a platform On the other side the road department took land as well both without compensation all in the name of development And now thisrdquo said Joel DrsquoSouza a resident of Shiv Shakti ApartmentsJoel DrsquoSouza a resident Chandrakant Shedge and Kavita ChodankarldquoThe matter highlights gross negligence and possible collusion between railway officials and the subdivisional officer SDO Vasai who have failed to ensure lawful and humane acquisition procedures No proper rehabilitation plan has been shared with the affected families and many now face homelessness Who will stand up for the rights of the poorrdquo Malviya questionedldquoWe are not illegal residents Wersquove been paying taxes and living here for decades We are not opposing the project but the compensation package will drive us onto the streets The government slogan says lsquoSabka Saath Sabka Vikasrsquo but it seems they are only interested in lsquoVikasrsquo not lsquoSaathrsquordquo said resident Kavita ChodankarResidents are demanding immediate government intervention a fair compensation package based on market value and transparent rehabilitation under the Land Acquisition Act 2013 The project which involves laying additional lines between Borivli and Virar 5th and 6th lines is estimated to cost R218402 crore It is expected to be a gamechanger helping to segregate suburban and outstation train traffic between Virar and Bandra TerminusThe twoline project requires significant land acquisition and the shifting of existing utilities As of August 2024 the district collector had initiated the land acquisition process and the Railways is working on utility relocation for the projectRight to Fair CompensationAn MRVC spokesperson stated that land acquisition compensation is being handled strictly in accordance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 ldquoThe competent authority appointed by the district collector assesses and determines the compensation MRVCrsquos role is limited to depositing the compensation with the revenue authorities and handling project implementation coordination and land demarcationrdquo he told middayldquoThe compensation is determined in coordination with the subdivisional office of the local collectorate using a defined set of criteria These include the market value of the land the average sale price for similar land in the nearest village or vicinity and the consented amount under provisions for private companies or PPP projects mdash whichever is higherrdquo an official addedCompensation detailsProperty Type Flatgtgt Compensation offered by Railways per sq ft Rs 2474 Rs 26620 per sq mgtgt Fair market rate per sq ft Rs 8500 to Rs 10000gtgt Ready reckoner rate per sq ft Rs 5967 Rs 64200 per sq mProperty type Shopgtgt Compensation offered by Railways per sq ft Rs 2474 Rs 26620 per sq mgtgt Fair market rate per sq ft Rs 18000 to Rs 20000gtgt Ready reckoner rate per sq ft Rs 7323 Rs 78800 per sq m