MUMBAI, March 30 -- While the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway (MAHSR), better known as the bullet train project, may well benefit commuters in future, it has caused grief to many families living on the outskirts of Mumbai. From land acquisition and compensation issues to land grab by the Vasai-Virar mafia to houses in the path of the project being damaged by blasting work, a litany of woes emerged when HT spoke to them. Two hundred farmers from six villages in Palghar (Jalsar, Virathan, Shelke, Marde, Tembikhodave and Virathan Khurd) claimed that their land was acquired by the land acquisition officer at rates much lower than what land owners in Gujarat and Palghar were getting. Kamlakar Patil from Tembikhodave in Saphale taluka, one of 22 rice farmers who did not accept the compensation offered, claimed that 8.70 gunthas of land from his 53 gunthas were rated at Rs.18,000 per guntha, which was not on par with what others were paid. "In 2018, when the survey was done, we were told that we would get five times the price of our land but we were not told that the amount would be as per the green zone rate," he said. The farmers have no idea what this is. Kamlakar also claimed that the government had till then not given them anything in writing on the amount of land acquired. "They told me that only 8.70 gunthas would be acquired but they have taken 15 gunthas without paying compensation for it," he said. Madhavrao Patil, another farmer with an adjacent piece of land, had the same complaint-that 4.70 gunthas of his land were acquired by the government but the project took over another 10 gunthas where he used to do prawn farming during the monsoon. "Apart from this, the stones and debris dumped on the surrounding land have made our fields infertile," he said. "We have not been able to do farming for the past six years and are without work since then." Madhavrao said that apart from the 22 of them, the others had been made to accept the compensation offer under threat and compulsion. Farmers belonging to the Agri-Koli community in Saphale, who rejected the compensation, have done the rounds of the collector's office several times and also protested in front of the land acquisition officer. When questioned, the officer Tejas Chavan said, "We have surveyed the land and awarded compensation. If the farmers have objections, they can approach the arbitration committee." Madhavrao said this was easier said than done. "Each farmer will have to deposit Rs.3 lakh for arbitration, which we do not have," he said. "This is our ancestral land and we have nothing else to leave our future generations." The Vasai-Virar land mafia also entered the game to get a slice of the lucrative bullet train pie. A gang of eight men was recently booked by the Pelhar police for cheating a 54-year-old tribal woman, Maya Padam Chavan, of a whopping Rs.21 crore-the men fraudulently acquired her ancestral land in Virar East and pocketed the compensation money. The police suspect that the case is just the tip of the iceberg. "Vasai-Virar has been a playground for the land mafia for the past 15 years," said Agri Sena leader Kailash Patil. "This mafia comprises influential men with connections to the police and authorities who through force or by luring vulnerable tribals with money, obtain their signatures and transfer their lands to their own name." When HT visited Maya Chavan in her small mud house in Vasai West, the elderly woman simply said, "They took everything from me, even my hope." For the last 22 years, Maya and her husband, Padmam Kalya Chavan, 58, a daily-wage labourer, have been staying in Gautam Nagar doing domestic chores and menial jobs just to stay afloat. Maya told HT that her grandmother, Sitabai Krishna Madhavi, a freedom fighter, was allotted a land parcel of 113 gunthas at Mouje More in Palghar district and her name was recorded in the 7/12 extract (land record). Following her demise, the names of Maya's father, two uncles and aunt were recorded. After Maya's father died, the names of her mother, her two brothers and her sister and cousin found their way into the 7/12 record but Maya's name was excluded. "One night in July 2018, eight men arrived at our home. That is when everything changed," she said. Umesh Rana, who seemed to be the person in charge, told her that the bullet train was slated to pass through the land, and that while several of her family members' names appeared on the 7/12 extract, her name was missing, and she would lose a lot of money. The men then assured her that they would get her name duly entered, and to facilitate this process, she would have to give thumb impressions and sign documents. The very next day, they persuaded her and her family members to give Rana power of attorney (PoA) to make the work simpler, and got a notarised Irrevocable PoA (which cannot be cancelled) in July 2018. In an elaborate charade, Rana first filed an appeal with the sub-divisional officer, Vasai to get the land re-registered in the names of Maya and her family members, and in 2019, their names were added to the 7/12 extract. Rana then took her Aadhar card and other IDs away, and persuaded her to open a new bank account for the money, which, he said, was to come shortly. He took her to the bank and activated her account; but instead of entering her mobile number on the forms, entered one that was in her name but was with them. Claiming that signed cheques needed to be submitted to the railway department to facilitate the imminent deposit of funds they took her signature and her ATM card. Towards the end of January 2020, Maya learnt that many individuals had received compensation for land acquired for the bullet train project. "My husband and I then visited the sub-divisional office, where we were told that Rs.20,95,24,715 had been deposited into my bank account," she said. "We immediately went to my bank, where we learnt that the amount had been credited to my account on January 10, 2020. However, from January 13 onwards, all the money had been withdrawn or transferred, and on May 29, 2020, a total of Rs.20,88,50,000 was deposited into Rana's bank account. An agitated Maya and her husband met Rana and the others at their office in Don Galli in Nalasopara. The men brazenly told them that they had worked very hard to get the money for her, and she would get her share soon but not if she filed a complaint. Maya nevertheless submitted a formal complaint against Rana at the office of the sub-divisional officer, Vasai. "Once we did that, the accused promised to pay my money very soon and induced me to withdraw the complaint application," said Maya. "But they gave us just Rs.25 lakh through cheques. When my husband demanded the rest, Rana and his gang got the police to register an FIR against him and other relatives at Vasai Police Station for extortion and threats. My husband was in jail for 30 days until I spent Rs.60,000 for his bail and a promise to withdraw my complaint against Rana." Santosh Bhoir, a resident of Chandrapada in Virar, suffered a similar fate at the hands of the land mafia. On January 21, 2025 he found out that five acres of his 350-acre property in Chandrapada, Juchandra and Khoprepada had been encroached upon. "When we protested, around 70 people came and assaulted us," he said. "We called the police helpline but instead of helping, the police dragged us to the station and ordered us to compromise." It was then that Bhoir took an account of his entire property and found that the land of Khoprepada had been sold by his cousin to the mafia. "I have now approached the tehsildar and collector and will approach the Economic Offences Wing," he said. "We are simple farmers and do not have clout like the accused. They bribe the authorities, encroach on lands without the owners' consent, and then manufacture documents to prove their ownership." Sushant Patil, a social worker, said that the accused in the case used to sell tea leaves but for the past 15 years had been indulging in land grab with support from the authorities, especially the police. "They rarely encroach on land illegally," he said. Usually they have some documents of purchase. "They promise the seller Rs.1 crore but end up paying only Rs.10 lakh or less. Nobody stands up to them." "The land mafia in nexus with the authorities and the police protecting their interests instead of the landowners-who are generally uneducated tribals-have encroached on forest lands, reclaimed salt pans, and turned farm lands into townships," said Ravi Bhushan, social activist and Congress party member." Aditya Chalke, the social activist who helped Maya Chavan approach the police, and get the FIR registered by approaching guardian minister Ganesh Naik, stated, "When I investigated, I found that each of the accused has at least five to six cases of assault, attempt to murder, and several other cases in police stations across Vasai-Virar. I am now contacting more victims who have been cheated by this gang." When contacted, Milind Patil, ACP in the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar EOW, said that police commissioner Niket Kaushik had assigned them the case and they were taking it seriously. "We have just begun the investigation and are currently recording the statements of Maya and her cousins," he said. "We have also received a few applications from other landowners who claim to be victims of the accused. This supports the allegation that the eight men are a part of the land mafia. They are absconding." When questioned, the MAHSR (bullet train) spokesperson said, "We do not deal with the land owners directly. It is done through the land acquisition officer of the region. We transfer the compensation amount to the collector, and the money is disbursed through the revenue officers." Land acquisition officer Tejas Chavan on his part said his office had nothing to do with the cheating. "The woman (Maya) came to our office, signed the documents which we verified, and only after that we transferred the money," he said. 46-year-old Vatsala Moreshwar Ladve , a resident of house number 193 at Kairaipada village in Saphale, feels the jolt when blasting work is undertaken for bullet train construction work. Her house is amongst the 10 where owners had to vacate the premises due to the damage caused by the blasting work. Ladve, a fisherwoman, said that at least 500 houses in Saphale and Dahanu had been damaged. The 2026 structural audit by the villagers found that Ladve's house, though less than 10 years old, was in bad shape, with major cracks in the walls, columns and foundation. The report clearly mentioned that the structure had been affected by vibrations from the ongoing blasting work for the bullet train in nearby areas. Ekadashi Patil, owner of a house in the same village as Ladve said, "It has been a nightmare. We live in constant fear of the house collapsing. We have nowhere to go and no money to shift." Kailash Patil stated that the massive blasts had damaged houses in the villages of Viradhan, Kirai Pada, and Jalsar. "The concerned officials have submitted erroneous reports regarding the condition of these houses, and are consequently declaring a meagre compensation," he said. "Given that the actual damage is substantial, we request the government to do a structural audit of the affected properties and pay appropriate compensation to the villagers." Land acquisition officer Tejas Chavan said that a survey was being conducted of the 10 visibly damaged houses and the authorities were in touch with the villagers on this....