Dharavi Redevelopment Project
– Photo: amarujala.com
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The Maharashtra government has approved the proposal to allot 124 acres of Deonar landfill site to Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited. This decision was taken in the cabinet meeting of the state government before the announcement of elections in the state. According to the Election Commission, voting is to be held on all 288 seats of Maharashtra on November 20 and the results of the assembly elections will be declared on November 23.
Mud and salt pan land has been allotted earlier also.
However, the opposition and the people living in Dharavi have started protesting against this decision of the state government. The land which has been approved to be handed over to Adani Group is one of the oldest and largest dumping grounds in Mumbai. Here, under the Dharavi scheme, people are to be provided houses to live in. Earlier on October 10, Maharashtra had given approval to hand over about 140 acres of land located in Madh to Adani Group for the rehabilitation of Dharavi residents.
In a meeting held on September 30, Eknath Shinde’s government had approved leasing 255 acres of salt pan land to Adani Group for a housing development project. This 255 acre salt land includes 120.5 acres of Mauje Kanjur, 76.9 acres of Kanjur and Bhandup and 58.5 acres of Mauje Mulund.
Rental housing will be ready for slum dwellers on the allotted land
According to the government, the Additional Chief Secretary of the State Housing Department has been nominated to sign the agreement with the Central Government for land lease transfer. The cost of rehabilitation of people living on salt field lands will be borne by a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Earlier this month, the Center had approved the transfer of 255 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai to Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL) to create rental housing for slum dwellers. It is a joint venture between the realty arm of Adani Group and the Government of Maharashtra.
Under the ongoing Dharavi Redevelopment Project under this joint venture, only those residents of Dharavi who lived in the ground floors built before January 1, 2000, will be eligible for new houses, that is, only those who do not fulfill these conditions will get new houses. They will be given houses under affordable rental housing schemes. At present, at least 580 acres of land is required to provide housing to approximately 700,000 people considered ineligible.
What is the resentment of the residents of Dharavi?
Ever since the Dharavi redevelopment project started, there is resentment among the people living here. Its people say that nothing has happened yet in the name of redevelopment project. Apart from this, where will they shift us is also a big problem. This will have a very bad impact on our work. This will cause great loss to our small businesses.
What is Dharavi Redevelopment Project?
Adani Group won the bid for redevelopment of Dharavi in November 2022, a project that has been stuck in the pipeline for almost two decades. Due to shortage of land in Mumbai and the expensive real estate market, land for this project was not available yet. It is estimated that this project will cost more than Rs 20,000 crore. It is one of the largest redevelopment projects undertaken by a government agency in India through a global tender. According to the information, Dharavi, spread over a vast area of 240 hectares, has approximately 8 to 10 lakh residents and more than 13,000 small businesses run here.
What is the history of Dharavi?
Dharavi was originally a colony of fishermen, where later potters, leather workers, embroiderers and weavers started living and gradually this colony kept growing. Dharavi is a densely populated urban area located in the heart of Mumbai. It is said that the population of Dharavi is larger than that of Greenland and Fiji and it has more than 30 percent Muslims, 6 percent Christians and 63 percent Hindus. There are many small scale units in recycling, leather products and pottery and textiles. Real estate expert Mihir Shah says that the Dharavi redevelopment project is a huge project. Completing it will prove to be a challenge in itself. Allocation of land by the government will be helpful in this, yet it will take a lot of time to complete.