Mumbai Makeover: BMC Plans To Redevelop Malvani Slums On The Model Of Dharavi Redevelopment Project

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to undertake the redevelopment of Malvani, a vast land area recognised for its extensive slum settlements.

The development of the region will follow the Dharavi slum redevelopment model.  

The first meeting in this regard was held at BMC commissioner I S Chahal’s office on Monday (20 March 2023), as per a report by Hindustan Times.

The meeting was chaired by the BMC commissioner and attended by officers including revenue department, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), salt commissioner’s office and defence department.

“We have decided to collect all the basic details and replicate the Dharavi model in Malvani. We will soon have a meeting with the deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the housing minister,” according to a senior BMC officer.

The BMC officials expressed that Chahal's experience with the Dharavi redevelopment project will be valuable for the Malvani redevelopment plan.

The Malvani area spans 1,200 acres, with 890 acres being owned by the revenue department. The remaining 290 acres belongs to the Centre, which includes the Defence Ministry.

Part of the land is under the ownership of the salt commissioner, and another section is covered in mangroves.

Additionally, a portion of the land is classified as a no-development zone, and a small marshy tract cannot be developed following the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.

Following the HT report, some BMC officers said that the provisions of Development Regulation 33(9a) and 33(10 a) of the Development Control Regulations (DCR), which were made applicable to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project should be made applicable to the Malvani project, as well.

Officials expressed that barely any development had been done by the SRA in Malvani.

“This area is considered very downmarket, but one could have sea-facing apartments here in the saleable component and utilise the profit to construct buildings for slum dwellers. The BMC also plans to have a project, that of a colony with wide roads, schools, hospitals and workplaces,” said an officer, adding that tenders would be invited at a global level.

Moreover, upon the completion of the Versova-Madh bridge, the link will improve accessibility to the region and allow it to be better connected to the rest of the city.

The proposal represents a significant step for the financial capital’s land use and development — as it allows the potential redistribution and regeneration of city's land pockets, while also improving the socio-economic and spatial conditions of the populations and regions.

A series of such projects are under different stages in the city which includes renewal of mill lands, port lands, along with redevelopment of dense areas such as Bhendi Bazaar and Dharavi.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) was awarded to Adani Realty in November 2022. The group had won the bid for the project by promising an initial investment of Rs 5,069 crore for the overall Rs 20,000 crore project.

The area of Dharavi spans 259 hectares with population estimates of around 600,000, along with 12,000 commercial establishments.

There are an estimated 59,000 eligible slum families that will be part of the rehabilitation process. The redevelopment of Dharavi can be seen as the largest slum development project.

The government plans to complete the rehabilitation of slum dwellers within seven years from the start of construction, and complete the entire project, including the sale component, in 17 years.