Dharavi Redevelopment Project Begins Quietly Despite Protests

Dharavi’s long-awaited redevelopment project kicked off in a simple ceremony in Mumbai on Thursday (September 12) morning.

A puja was also performed in Sector 6 of Matunga. The event marks the start of the construction of railway staff quarters and offices mentioned in the tender documents of the Dharavi redevelopment project.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPP), a joint venture of the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group, organized the event.

With no members or members of the anti-redevelopment Dharavi Bachao Andolan (DIBA) present, the event could not go smoothly.

Currently, the Maharashtra government is conducting door-to-door surveys to find out which people are eligible for the new homes.

According to estimates, the eligible people will get 350 sq ft homes, with modern amenities like new roads, hospitals, schools, and open spaces. These homes will reportedly be 17 percent larger than other slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai.

Ineligible residents have been placed in two groups. People who started living in Dharavi between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, will be given homes at affordable prices. People who settled after 2011 will be given housing under the state’s affordable rental housing policy, which also has an option to buy on rent. These people will be shifted to the newly built Mumbai township.

“These new townships will be state-of-the-art, with schools, hospitals, gardens, and well-planned roads,” said the Times of India. Non-polluting industries and commercial establishments will be rehabilitated within Dharavi itself, benefiting from better infrastructure for five years. The redevelopment plan also includes skill centers, aimed at employing residents.

About Dharavi Redevelopment Project

In October 2022, the Maharashtra government issued an international tender for the reconstruction of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. It is located on a large land of 240 hectares, in the heart of Mumbai. The bid to rebuild Dharavi was won by the Adani Group in November 2022 with an initial investment of Rs 5,069 crore.

The reconstruction plans will build around 1-1.5 lakh houses of 350 sq ft for friendly residents.

The huge slum of Dharavi will be connected to the developed landscape of Mumbai with this new look. This new identity of Dharavi will reduce residential discrimination in the city and its residents will get a chance to easily integrate with the larger population of the city.