Many Dharavi Residents say CM Uddhav Thackeray who is their neighbour should help them redevelop Dharavi. Residents to meet him soon.
By Varun Singh
Dharavi, one of the World’s biggest slum pocket located in the heart of India’s financial capital Mumbai is hoping that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who is also their neighbour will help them redevelop Dharavi. The residents say they will meet Thackeray between January 20-25.
Uddhav Thackeray’s residence Matoshreeis in Bandra’s Kala Nagar, which is next to Dharavi and hence the residents of Dharavi say he is their neighbour. A bunch of Dharavi residents had visited Nagpur and met the chief minister during the winter session.
They even handed him a letter seeking his help and remaining him his promise about Dharavi redevelopment. Now they plan to meet the CM in the coming 10-15 days as Thackeray had asked them to visit him at Mantralaya.
Hariram Dilliwala, general secretary of People’s Responsible Organisation of United Dharavi (PROUD) said, “We had gone to meet the CM at Nagpur and reminded him his promise that he had given us before he became the chief minister that he will help Dharavi redevelop.”
“Now when he is the chief minister we expect that he will help us and fulfill his promise. We will be meeting the chief minister between January 20-25 with or demands,” said Dilliwala. Dilliwala along with other organizations is holding a press conference on Dharavi Redevelopment and meeting with CM on January 15.
Dharavi for a long time has been a struggling for redevelopment. The Devendra Fadanvis led government had formed a Special Purpose Vehicle for the redevelopment, where government would also part of it. Fadanvis government had announced that it will float a Special Purpose Vehicle for the redevelopment of Dharavi where the lead partner, when forms the SPV, will have 80% equity (Rs 400 crore) while the government will hold 20% equity (Rs 100 crore).
There were tenders floated and while Seclink group became a frontrunner, quoting Rs 7,200 crore, the second bidder was Adani who had bid Rs 4,500 crore. However, since January 2019 no decision has been taken yet on who to award the tender.
Dharavi redevelopment is a big political scheme that many governments have tried their hands in the past too. The redevelopment which will fall under a special authority called Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) hasn’t started yet.
Except for one sector that is sector V where MHADA did redevelop some portion, none of the previous government’s ambitious Dharavi Redevelopment ever took wings.
Dharavi is spread over 240 acres of land in Central Mumbai and is one of the biggest slums in the continent.
