Dharavi masterplan to be implemented in phases, says DRP CEO SVR Srinivas

The Rs 95,790-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project will be executed in phases, rehabilitating around 72,000 tenants, with completion targeted for January 2031, says DRP CEO

The master plan of the Rs 95,790-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) in Mumbai will be implemented in phases, according to SVR Srinivas, chief executive officer (CEO) of DRP.

 

“The Dharavi masterplan will be implemented in phases. Only if there are any major changes during implementation, which are not mentioned or are in contravention of the Development Plan, will the process of suggestions and objections be necessary. The project will be executed by onboarding all major stakeholders, most importantly, the local population and the government,” Srinivas said.

 

The plan proposes to rehabilitate around 72,000 residential and commercial tenants across 47.20 hectares of the total net area, which is 108.99 hectares.

 

So far, around Rs 4,563 crore has been invested in the project, which is expected to be completed by January 2031.

 

Five sectors are identified in DRP for rehabilitation. The first sector, located beside the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) land, will be rehabilitated in the first phase, according to a source close to the development.

 

Srinivas also added that construction work has already begun on the Matunga railway land, and the buildings there will rehouse Dharavikars after the railway officials have been duly accommodated. “We expect the railway buildings to be completed in the next two to three years. A lot of construction and development will happen in parallel. This is the brownest of brownfield projects, and the project will pick up more speed in the coming months.”

 

Further, 47.95 hectares of the net area will be developed as a sale component for Navbharat Mega Developers (NMDPL), a special purpose vehicle formed as a joint venture between the government of Maharashtra and the Adani Group. The Adani Group has an 80 per cent stake in NMDPL, while the remaining 20 per cent stake belongs to the state government (Slum Rehabilitation Authority – SRA/DRP).

 

The gross area of Dharavi Notified Area (DNA) is about 251.24 hectares, including the area of excluded properties (79 hectares), while the area of DRP is 173.90 hectares, including RLDA land.

 

So far, 541.2 acres of additional land outside DNA have been allocated for affordable rental housing to rehouse ineligible Dharavi residents.

 

Under SRA guidelines, only ground-floor tenements are considered eligible for free housing. As per the project’s tender document, individuals with ground-floor residential structures built on or before 1 January 2000 will receive homes of 350 sq ft within Dharavi only, which is 17 per cent more than any other SRA project in Mumbai.

 

About 9,010 industrial retail, 3,619 industrial manufacturing and 7,371 commercial retail units are estimated to be built. However, the actual number of eligible industrial manufacturing and industrial retail tenements will be known only after the completion of the ongoing survey.

 

As of 19 May 2025, documentation for about 56,971 households has been completed. The project authorities are still facing resistance to conducting the door-to-door survey in certain areas.

 

The survey is being conducted to determine the eligibility of the residents and businesses of Dharavi for rehabilitation, considering the redevelopment of the area.

 

Srinivas stated that, like all other modern housing societies, there will be multi-level basement parking. The podium floors will accommodate business and commercial units.

 

Earlier, the plan was approved on 28 May during a review meeting chaired by Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra.