Dharavi Redevelopment Project completes over 50,000 door-to-door surveys

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) notched up a major milestone on Wednesday by completing over 50,000 door-to-door surveys which is the highest in Mumbai Slum Rehabilitation Authority's (SRA) history.

"This is a record milestone for Mumbai SRA. This progress is a big boost for the survey teams and Dharavi residents, who are eager for the redevelopment to move forward. Their active participation shows their commitment to Asia's largest slum rehabilitation survey," a DRP official said.

The survey is essential to decide on those eligible for rehabilitation under the Dharavi redevelopment project.

Teams are working to complete this extensive survey. The DRP CEO, SVR Srinivas, recently urged all Dharavikars to participate in the survey so that no one is left out of the housing plan.

As per the latest survey figures, numbering has been completed for 85,000 tenements, while over 50,000 tenements have undergone door-to-door surveys.

"If you fully consider the complexity, precision and logistical challenges of mapping Asia's largest slum, with its dense and diverse population, this is a significant achievement," the DRP official said.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) is India's largest slum rehabilitation initiative. Home to nearly one million people, it aims to transform Asia's biggest slum into a modern urban hub.

Around 1.5 lakh tenements will be rehabilitated, ensuring better housing, infrastructure, and economic opportunities while preserving the dignity of Dharavi's people.

"After multiple failed attempts in the past decades, Dharavi's redevelopment has finally taken off. Once completed, this project will set a global benchmark for human-centric slum redevelopment. This milestone shows that we are committed to moving forward with benchmark facilities," a spokesperson of Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd, the Adani Group-backed agency doing the redevelopment.

NMDPL is a special purpose vehicle between the Government of Maharashtra - through the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) / Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) - and the Adani Group.

A previous survey conducted by Mashal in 2007-08 had identified around 60,000 eligible tenements in Dharavi. Estimates now suggest that most tenements have grown to G+2 levels, increasing the number of tenements needing rehabilitation to around 1.5 lakh.

"Even upper floor structures are covered under the provisions of current tender. We are proud to be part of the government's home-for-all policy," the NMDPL spokesperson added.

Under the tender terms, eligible Dharavikars will be rehabilitated within Dharavi, while ineligible residents will be relocated to modern townships outside Dharavi but within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with modern facilities and holistic amenities.

Unlike other slum rehabilitation projects, residents will not be placed in high-rise slums but in well-planned townships, with appropriate facilities like wide roads, green spaces, and proper water and sewage systems etc. These townships will have multi-modal transport hubs.

"The townships will include schools, healthcare facilities, playgrounds, community centers and shopping complexes. This redevelopment, as well as infrastructure, will not only improve the lives of relocated Dharavikars but also enhance infrastructure and living conditions of the neighbourhood and Mumbaikars at large," the spokesperson said.