Vasai | September 3, 2026
Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation’s online records of commencement certificates (CCs) and occupancy certificates (OCs) have not been updated for more than a year, making it difficult for homebuyers to verify the approval status of buildings and raising concerns about possible fraud, according to a report by Loksatta.
The civic portal shows that the last commencement certificate was uploaded on July 21, 2025, while the latest occupancy certificate was uploaded on July 26, 2025. No newer certificates have reportedly been added since then.
CCs indicate that a construction project has received permission to begin work, while OCs are issued after a building is completed and approved for occupation. Homebuyers often use these records to check whether a project has received key permissions before committing their savings to a property.
According to information displayed on the municipal website, 2,387 commencement certificates were recorded between November 2010 and July 2025. The portal also listed 2,076 occupancy certificates issued between January 2011 and July 26, 2025. The absence of more recent entries means citizens cannot use the online database to check the latest approvals, the report said.
The issue has emerged after an alleged construction-related scam in Vasai-Virar brought the municipal town-planning department under scrutiny. In May 2025, the Enforcement Directorate reportedly acted against Y. S. Reddy, then deputy director of the town-planning department. The then municipal commissioner, Anilkumar Pawar, subsequently suspended Reddy, according to the report. The investigation later also involved action against Pawar, while architects, chartered accountants and developers were questioned.
The municipal website was created to provide citizens with access to civic and town-planning information. However, the lack of updates to the CC and OC sections has led residents to question whether the records available online accurately reflect permissions granted by the corporation. Citizens have demanded that the administration restore regular publication of the certificates.
Municipal town-planning deputy director Manish Bhishnurkar told Loksatta that the information would be obtained and updated on the website. He also said the department would seek access to upload the records directly. Town-planning officials have additionally requested that the information technology department appoint a separate engineer to handle online updates for CC and OC records.
The corporation’s stated next step is to collect the pending certificate information and make it available through the municipal portal. The timing for completion of the update was not specified in the report.
