Dharavi revamp plan modified for smoother land acquisition

Earlier, the authority had, for the purpose of more clear planning, designated specific areas where houses for the sale component are to be constructed and where those for the rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers are to be built.

Incidentally, the location of the sale houses, marked on the prime areas of Dharavi, was a significant reason for opposition to the draft development plan by a section of residents. “The general opinion was that it would be difficult to acquire private land to build sale component of developers who will execute the Dharavi redevelopment works. The project can run into further delays. So, it was decided to remove the distinction. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority has recently approved the draft development plan and sent it to the urban development department for its nod,” said an official working on the project, who did not wish to be named.

The official added that the location of houses that will form a part of the sale component and the area to rehabilitate existing residents can be taken at a later stage. About a fifth of the total land that is to be developed for the project is privately owned and needs to be acquired. Dharavi comprises five sectors spread across 240 hectares, of which 152 hectares will be developed under the project. Of the 152 hectares, the official said the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority would have to acquire approximately 27-30 hectares of private land. About 3-4 hectares of this is under the ownership of the Tata Power Company.

The Dharavi redevelopment project has been in the works for more than a decade, but has been a non-starter due to issues such as flip-flops in policies, design changes, differences with the original consultant and opposition by some residents.

The project authority had prepared a draft development plan for Dharavi with the help of a consultant last year and had invited suggestions and objections to it from residents. The plan drew 765 responses from across 59,000 tenements of Dharavi, recording 2,015 demands. Of the total demands, 304 were requests for self-development and another 272 for exclusion from the project.
manasi.phadke@expressindia.com