Receiving a beginning certificate from BMC to build railway quarters on railway-owned land marked a significant milestone for the Adani-led Dharavi Rehabilitation Project (DRP). The railway quarters are anticipated to be finished in two years, with groundwork starting in a month, according to sources.
SVR Srinivas, CEO of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), informed TOI, “The project has received its First Commencement Certificate. It’s a significant event.
On March 13, 2024, the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) turned over the 27.57-acre pieces of land, including the scrapyard area close to Mahim station, to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), the state government’s designated project execution agency. The project is home to about 12 lakh people and occupies 600 acres of land.
Since the Adani Group acquired the ambitious project through Navbharat Mega Developers, formerly Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL), this is the first construction activity started under the Dharavi Rehabilitation Project.
Prior to offering rehabilitation tenements to qualified Dharavi residents, DRP will turn over properties to the railway. After obtaining the beginning certificate, DRP promised the railways that it would construct the entire complex, which spans around one million square feet, in three years.
Renowned architect Hafeez Contractor will design the proposed complex and Dharavi township. The project consists of a large sports/recreation facility, a modern administration building, and four multi-story apartments, three of which will be 36 stories (821 apartments) with contemporary amenities.
For this piece of land, DRP has already paid the railway Rs 1,000 crore. After 17 years, the railways will receive an additional Rs 2,800 crore under minimum revenue sharing from the Dharavi redevelopment’s profits.
To collect information for the state government, which will establish the eligibility requirements for rehabilitation under the proposed redevelopment project, DRP is now surveying the 27.57 acres of railway land, which includes 15 acres of land that has been encroached by 5,000 tenements.
The Adani Group, with an initial equity investment of Rs 5,069 crore, won the bid to reconstruct Dharavi in November 2022. Since March 2024, a new survey has been conducted to ascertain eligibility. As part of its study, DRP has so far finished marking about 75,000 homes and checked the documentation of about 35,000 tenements.
Source: The Times of India
