Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai’s heritage washing zone and the world’s largest open-air laundromat, witnessed a massive demolition drive on Friday.
Omkar Realtors & Developers, one of Mumbai’s leading slum rehabilitation project developers, began work to demolish about 800 houses located near the washing pens. Over 25,000 residents handed over their colonies for rehabilitation. Their houses will soon be replaced with shiny, multi-storeyed towers.
Omkar Realtors & Developers claimed that out of the 5,000 slum tenements housing over 25,000 members of the dhobi community, 4,000 families or approximately 20,000 people had given their consent for redevelopment under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme. The residents will get new 270 square feet tenements under the scheme.
Omkar’s executive director Kaushik More said the redevelopment under the SRA scheme would not affect or hamper the heritage site, which houses 731 washing pens and flogging stones. He said, “The stones washing area will remain untouched and the dhobi community will conduct their routine activities without any disruption.”
Constructed in 1890 to cater to the washing requirements of the British officers, and Parsis, Dhobi Ghat, located near Mahalaxmi railway station, became a popular tourist destination. In 2013, it entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of people washing clothes simultaneously.
Dhobi Ghat has also been a popular location for Bollywood movies from the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Don to the Sanjay Dutt-starrers Munnabhai MBBS and Munnabhai Lage Raho. Dhobi Ghat was also the title of Kirran Rao’s maiden film starring Aamir Khan.
