Dharavi residents demand Maharashtra govt handle redevelopment project

A section of residents of Dharavi in Mumbai on Wednesday demanded the slum sprawl redevelopment project be handled by the Maharashtra government.

An agitation was held at a ground which was joined by local activists and Aam Aadmi Party.

"Dharavi is the biggest land scam. We want a fresh survey on the eligibility criterion. We demand that all structures to date be considered eligible and residents be given 405 sq feet of houses in Dharavi itself. A survey conducted in 2008 identified 59,000 structures but this number has crossed one lakh now," Aam Aadmi Party activist Sandip Katake claimed.

Organisers of the protest claimed to have secured prior permission from Mumbai Police for the gathering.

Some of the protesters displayed placards opposing the Adani Group.

Katake also demanded that SEZ be set up as Dharavi is a city within the city and is the hub for various small-scale industries and 80% of its population is dependent on local businesses.

One of the protesters, Paul Rafale said, ''Thousands of families are living in Dharavi for decades. If Adani Group agrees to our demands including rent, area of flats, transit camp etc, then we won't have any objection," he said.

The Maharashtra government last month formally awarded the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment project to an Adani Group firm.

The project, which reportedly has a revenue potential of Rs 20,000 crore, involves rebuilding the Dharavi slum sprawl in central Mumbai, located near the BKC business district.

It was won by Adani Properties in November last year through competitive bidding which also saw realty major DLF and Naman Developers competing.