DRP CEO and NMDPL chairman S V R Srinivas stated that the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) will use a 2023 drone survey conducted by Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL) as a reference to identify and demolish unauthorized constructions in the Dharavi Notified Area (DNA). Any structures that emerged after the survey will be removed.
NMDPL, a special-purpose vehicle established for Dharavi’s redevelopment, submitted the Dharavi Development Plan for the 251-hectare DNA to the Maharashtra government in November last year. While no modifications have been suggested by the government yet, it remains uncertain when the plan will be made public for objections and suggestions.
Sources indicate that the rehabilitation tenements for eligible residents will be constructed on 47 acres of railway land designated for the project. However, unauthorized construction continues in the area. A press release from the DRP/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), a part of NMDPL, attributed the proliferation of illegal structures to residents and the local land mafia. It cited a 2019 demolition drive by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), during which then-assistant municipal commissioner Kiran Dighavkar had warned of repeated unauthorized construction and promised strict action under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act.
As part of the redevelopment efforts, over 85,000 tenements including residential, commercial, religious, and industrial units have been numbered. A door-to-door survey covering 50,000 tenements is complete, with the final phase expected to conclude by April.
Regarding eligibility for rehabilitation, DRP/SRA clarified the provisions outlined in the tender. Ground-floor residents who settled in Dharavi before January 1, 2000, will receive free 350 sq ft homes within the area. Those who moved in between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, will be offered 300 sq ft houses outside Dharavi at a cost of ₹2.5 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). This clarification follows a statement by CM Devendra Fadnavis in December, which had suggested that residents settled before 2011 would be rehabilitated within Dharavi. Additionally, upper-floor structures built before November 15, 2022, and ground-floor tenements constructed between January 1, 2011, and November 15, 2022, will be eligible for rental accommodation.
Source: The Times Of India
