"Suspicious": Uddhav Thackeray To Take March To Adani Office Against Mumbai's Dharavi Redevelopment Project

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray announced on Tuesday that he would take a march from Dharavi to the office of Adani Group in Mumbai on 16 December against the Dharavi redevelopment project and the hike in the electricity tariff. He alleged that the state government favoured the business conglomerate with the Dharavi redevelopment project.

In July, the Adani Group company was officially granted the Dharavi Redevelopment project, spanning 259 hectares, by the Maharashtra government.

According to Indian Express, Thackeray asserted that the inhabitants of Dharavi must be resettled within the same area due to their reliance on product manufacturing for their livelihood. He emphasised that these residents should be allocated a space ranging from 400 to 500 square feet.

He alleged that despite this around 80,000 to 90,000 slum dwellers remain unqualified for this space post-redevelopment. Thackeray questioned Adani's plans in this regard, highlighting that while the government is supporting the industrialist, the residents of Dharavi, who have resided there for numerous generations, should also be allowed to continue living in their ancestral area.

“Along with this, police and sanitation workers should also get an opportunity to stay there. If you will force TDR (Transferable Development Rights), the government should take it. The government has planned how Adani will get better. If the issue of TDR (is going to come up), the government should take it under its control. If there is oppression anywhere during the survey, Shiv Sainiks will defeat it. Twenty per cent of the government and 80 per cent of Adani is currently the issue. This should also be disclosed,” Thackeray said.

The ex-chief minister expressed that Sena (UBT) is in favor of Dharavi's redevelopment, but voiced doubts about the procedure used to award the redevelopment contract and relocate the slum residents.

Calling the Dharavi redevelopment project "suspicious", he noted that despite the slums' dilapidated conditions, their value is as high as gold. He wishes for the small entrepreneurs of Dharavi to also benefit from the space. He also points out that the ongoing development activities have left the citizens of Mumbai gasping for breath due to the extreme pollution levels, a result of poor planning.

Thackeray criticises the government for merely awarding contracts, labeling it a 'contract-issuing government'. Furthermore, he reveals that the Abhyudaya Nagar Bandra reclamation is reportedly set to be handed over to Adani, accusing the government of favoring Adani in all their actions.

“The electricity bill contract has also been awarded to Adani. How is everything given to Adani? If you are taking all the industries to Gujarat, what will you do to Mumbai?” he questioned.

Thackeray challenged the BJP to conduct a single election using ballot paper instead of EVMs as a sign of their confidence. He suggested that if they could manage five state elections, they should now proceed with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election using the traditional method. He further provoked them to display the same level of assurance by conducting the Lok Sabha elections with ballot paper.