The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), a joint venture between the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group to revamp one of Asia’s biggest cluster of slums, will begin a survey from March 18 to collect data from lakhs of informal tenement residents, the company said in a statement on Monday.
The data will be used to determine their rehabilitation eligibility criteria under the proposed redevelopment project. “The survey is the first step to make Mumbai slum-free. It is the beginning of transforming Dharavi into a world-class township. We urge all Dharavikars to support this exercise, which will enable us to execute the rehabilitation process and ultimately provide them with their dream home,” a DRPPL spokesperson said.
Standing on a 300-hectare slice of prime land in the heart of the city overlooking the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), India’s premium business district, the slum is home to nearly 58,000 families who migrated to Mumbai from across the subcontinent over decades.
“The survey is the first step to make Mumbai slum-free. It is the beginning of transforming Dharavi into a world-class township, a state-of-the-art city within a city. We urge all Dharavikars to support this exercise, which will enable us to execute the rehabilitation process and ultimately provide them with their dream home,” a DRPPL spokesperson said.
The survey would begin from Kamla Raman Nagar, with a unique number being given to each informal tenement, they said.
This will be followed by laser mapping of the respective lane, known as ‘Lidar Survey.’ A trained team will visit every tenement with an indigenously developed application to scan documents. They also started a toll-free number- 1800-268-8888 to respond to the queries and concerns of Dharavikars.
“For decades, Dharavikars have been waiting for redevelopment to move into their dream homes and commercial establishments. Now, the process to transform Dharavi into a world-class township is going to begin and reshape the destiny of lakhs of residents,” the spokesperson said.
In the DRP scheme every informal tenement holder will get a home and homes will be provided to qualified ineligible tenement holders too. Recently, the DRPPL announced that, as per the DRP tender, all eligible and ineligible resident tenement holders will get a flat with an independent kitchen and toilet.
Also, eligible industrial and commercial units in redeveloped Dharavi will enjoy a five-year holiday in State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) payment to boost and help formalise their businesses; this is also as per the tender conditions.
The slum encompasses thousands of industrial and commercial units manufacturing garments and leather items. Many are vendors for large national and international brands sold across the world, with turnover estimated to be in millions of dollars. “They are keen to formalise their businesses to expand and get a fillip, both locally and globally,” the officials said.
The DRPPL has partnered with architect Hafeez Contractor, known for social housing and Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects in the city; Boston-based design firm Sasaki to determine the placement of each building (residential, school, hospital etc.), and U.K.-based consultancy firm Buro Happold for infrastructure planning, such as roads, water and sewer pipelines, and sewage treatment plants.
Meanwhile, a Dubai-based consortium, Seclink Technologies Corporation, has launched a legal battle alleging that the State government arbitrarily cancelled an original 2018 tender for the redevelopment project and favoured the Adani Group while granting the new contract.
