Dharavi Redevelopment: While Politicians Go Around In Circles, Residents Seek Straight Answers

Central Mumbai has changed significantly in the last two decades; however, among the constants has been the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

In fact, the number of slum-dwellers to be rehabilitated in Asia's biggest slum has only increased from a decade ago.

The redevelopment of Dharavi is an ambitious project that Maharashtra has been planning under the leadership of various chief ministers from different political parties. It is a pie whose share everyone wants.

The 240 hectares of centrally located land called Dharavi has many residents who have been awaiting a home for years. What they have received is mere promises.

Since the start of this century, several governments have floated tenders. After four tenders, Adani won the global tender for the redevelopment of Dharavi. But, all of a sudden, the name Adani was opposed.

Leading the Adani opposition camp in Mumbai is Uddhav Thackeray.

Thackeray had hosted Gautam Adani just last year at his home, but a year later, he turned against Adani on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

Of the four global tenders floated for the redevelopment effort, on the third occasion, Seclink, a consortium with funds from the Royals in the Middle East, won the tender. This was when Devendra Fadnavis was the chief minister of Maharashtra.

However, the government changed and the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came to power.

In August 2020, during the MVA rule, the Committee of Secretaries met to take a call on the Dharavi redevelopment tender. They suggested cancelling the tender and proposed the same to the state government. The MVA then cancelled the tender.

Note that there was a land parcel owned by the Railways which was involved in the project.

After floating the tender and receiving bids, the Maharashtra government acquired 46 acres of land for Rs 800 crore from the Railways. After acquiring this land and making it a part of the redevelopment project, the advice of the Attorney General was sought, who suggested fresh tenders.

For two years, the MVA led by Thackeray didn't float tenders. Finally, when Fadnavis came back to power as Deputy Chief Minister and Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, the global tender was floated.

This time Adani won it. The other bidders included DLF.

But, all of a sudden, there was an aversion to the name Adani, although they had won the tender by bidding the highest Rs 5.069 crore, whereas DLF was second with a bid of Rs 2,025 crore. The third bidder, Naman Group, didn’t qualify on certain parameters.

Sanjay Shinde, a resident of Dharavi and a member of Aapli Mumbai, a group raising its voice for Dharavi's redevelopment, said, "We didn't participate in the morcha (demonstration) called by Uddhav Thackeray, but he did raise our demand.

"Our demand was that we be told in black and white what we residents are being offered in the redevelopment. We are opposed to any private developer and want MHADA or any government agency to deal with this, not any private developer."

MHADA is short for Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority.

Allegations have been made that the current dispensation has tweaked rules to accommodate Adani. Even Thackeray has made similar allegations. But Adani has denied all of them. Adani has said in response:

"The Dharavi project was awarded to the Adani Group through a fair, open, internationally competitive bidding process. It is important to note that the tender conditions were finalised during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which demitted office at the end of June 2022. The finalised conditions, including the obligations and incentives, which were known to all the bidders, have not been changed for the awardee post the tendering process. Hence, this political allegation that any special benefits have been given to the Adani Group is baseless and factually incorrect."

The other issue raised by many has to do with the "TDR" or transferable development rights.

The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for all developers to take in a certain portion of TDR if they are using any, which will be generated from the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

However, it is being said that this is to benefit the developer of Dharavi, which in this case is Adani.

Several developers have also objected to it, mainly because they will have to buy the TDR. To this, Adani has said, "Generation and usage of TDR are as per the tender conditions and fully compliant with the relevant laws.

"Moreover, the resettlement of Dharavikars is not affected by transferable development rights. Also, the TDR from the project will be managed and monitored transparently by the Government of Maharashtra."

According to a real estate expert, a project of this scale requires a lot of funds; here, the residents of Dharavi are being rehabilitated free of cost. By making the TDR purchase mandatory, the government is trying to build funds for the project. People forget that it is a public project.

Dharavi is an important location politically too. It has been a Congress bastion in the Maharashtra assembly for years, and in the Lok Sabha, it has sent the Shiv Sena several times.

The current Member of Parliament Rahul Shewale is from the Shiv Sena (Shinde), whereas the Member of the Legislative Assembly is Varsha Gaikwad from the Congress.

Thackeray is eyeing this constituency for the Lok Sabha and wants to have a hold here. This morcha, too, is seen in this light.

Many in the political circles are questioning Thackeray's intentions because he first hosted Adani at his home and then questioned him.

Dharavi needs redevelopment and the government alone cannot do it. Of the five sectors in Dharavi, the state body MHADA tried redeveloping one Sector V, where it managed to build only a few thousand homes.

Dharavi needs a lot of funds and expertise, and government agencies have their limitations.

One thing that the government can and should do is take all the residents in confidence, show them the plan, and tell them what they are going to get from the redevelopment.

Many residents are worried about the future. Once that question is answered, many will willingly come ahead for the redevelopment.