The USD 3 billion Dharavi Redevelopment Project, led by an Adani Group affiliate, has been given fresh life following the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition’s resounding victory in Maharashtra’s assembly elections. The project is now anticipated to proceed with fewer political obstacles after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which had promised to scrap the project, suffered a major electoral setback.
With the Adani Group owning 80% of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) and the state’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority owning the other 20%, the DRPPL seeks to revitalise the expansive 600-acre slum of Dharavi. Home to more than a million people, Dharavi offers both a problem and a chance for urban renewal.
The project’s viability still depends on securing property, especially for rehousing “ineligible” residents—those who moved to Dharavi after 2010.
Recently, the state received 256 acres of abandoned saltpan property from the Union Trade Ministry. This land has been set aside for rental homes like Wadala, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, and Vikhroli. For like purposes, another 125 acres have been set aside next to the Deonar dumping ground. At the same time, the organisation has purchased the property from Indian Railways to house qualified citizens, and preparations and demolitions have already begun.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will provide 300-square-foot dwellings for a minimal price of Rs 2.5 lakh to tenants of tenements constructed between 2000 and 2011. Residents who are deemed ineligible will be moved to rental properties in “model townships” that provide the possibility of eventual ownership.
By March 2025, surveys to determine the final number of eligible businesses and residents should be completed. According to the Economic Times, evaluations of more than 15,000 constructions were finished by October.
With more than 85 communities living inside its borders, Dharavi’s distinctive cultural diversity heightens its significance. In addition to making the area more habitable and stimulating the economy, the rehabilitation plan aims to maintain this cultural diversity.
If the Dharavi Redevelopment Project is successful, it may set the standard for extensive urban renewal in India that strikes a balance between inclusion and modernisation.
Source: Swarajya
