Adani Enterprises Director Pranav Adani has said the Dharavi redevelopment project will follow a “people-first” approach, with residents, housing and the area’s extensive network of micro enterprises placed at the centre of the transformation.
Adani said the redevelopment should preserve the dignity and livelihoods of Dharavi’s community while creating better living conditions. He described the initiative as one of India’s most ambitious urban transformation programmes and stressed that infrastructure must “always have a human heart”.
“Our approach is people first, ensuring dignity, creating modern housing before relocation, formalising and safeguarding thousands of micro enterprises, and transforming Asia’s largest informal settlement into a vibrant, integrated economic hub without displacing the community’s soul,” he said.
According to Adani, providing homes before relocation would be an important part of the redevelopment strategy. The project is also expected to focus on bringing Dharavi’s numerous informal businesses into a more organised framework while protecting the economic activity that supports thousands of families.
He linked the initiative to his vision of “Mumbai 3.0”, which he said should not simply result in a larger city but create a better-connected, more balanced and inclusive metropolitan region.
“This is our contribution towards Mumbai 3.0, not just a larger Mumbai, but a better connected, more balanced, and more inclusive metropolitan region,” he said.
Adani also reiterated the Adani Group’s broader commitment to Maharashtra, describing the state as a major economic centre and highlighting investments across sectors including energy, aviation, urban development, data centres and other infrastructure.
The group has outlined an investment plan exceeding Rs 6 lakh crore in Maharashtra, with projects worth around Rs 2.6 lakh crore already completed or under execution. Among its major initiatives are Navi Mumbai International Airport, a proposed township around the airport, operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Adani Electricity Mumbai.
Adani said the group’s long-standing association with Maharashtra was entering a new phase, calling the latest investment commitments a “quantum leap” in scale and confidence.
Within this larger investment programme, Dharavi represents a major urban regeneration opportunity. The redevelopment is being positioned not merely as a housing project, but as an effort to modernise the neighbourhood while retaining its community networks, businesses and economic identity.
The approach comes as Maharashtra seeks to attract investment and advance its ambition of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030.
Source: India Today
