How Maha Assembly Polls Outcome Could Shape Up The Future Of Dharavi

Adani himself said, “While I have no fixed ideas or preconceived notions about redeveloping Dharavi, what I do have are good intent and an iron will for a human-centric transformation with the people of Dharavi at its centre”

The history of Asia’s largest slum Dharavi, as that of Mumbai as such, makes an interesting read. Dharavi was originally the home of the fishing community called Kolis. The adjoining Mahim Creek was their source of fish and livelihood for centuries. Indeed, one of the Bombay Gazetteers mentions Dharavi as one of the ‘six great Koliwadas of Bombay’.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project under the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) notes that the Portuguese were the first colonists to stake their claim to the seven islands of Bombay in the 16th century: they built a small fort and church at Bandra, on the opposite shore from Dharavi.

The growth of Dharavi is closely interwoven with the pattern of migration into Bombay. The first people to settle there did so because the land, mainly used as an informal rubbish dump, was free and unregulated. The marshy land slowly grew more solid but even till the mid-1900s, parts were so wet, people had to build foot-bridges to cross over.

By end-1800s, the potters from Saurashtra were relocated here and set up their colony (Kumbharwada), as also the Muslim leather tanners from Tamil Nadu (because of the proximity of the abattoir in Bandra). Artisans and embroidery workers from Uttar Pradesh started the readymade garments trade, and Tamilians set up a flourishing business, making savouries and sweets.

Dharavi has emerged as the self-sustained slum colony with most of the ten lakh people living there working within the same area. The commercial activities here include garments, plastic recycling, dyeing, aluminium moulding, leather processing, farsan (snacks) making, pottery and carton making.

Plus, there are a host of home-based activities such as papad making, bidi making, zari work, bindi making, leather goods, pickles and buttons. A pleasant surprise that I have come across is that the dingy lanes have sponge groom making activity – from creative mehendi to exotic dresses. Dharavi also hosts close to 300 religious structures such as Churches, Masjids, and temples.

Dharavi has become the ‘darling’ of all political parties. It is not about merely resettling a million people, but it is also about the larger interest over land – much precious than oil or gold in Mumbai. According to one estimate, the 250-hectare dense slum will throw up a developable 6 crore square feet. Plus, there will be a surplus area of four lakh square feet, after developing Dharavi, which can be encashed as transferable development rights (TDR). The property, once fully developed as a modern township, has the potential of fetching Rs 1-lakh a square foot, a real estate analyst says. But some builders say it could be highly exaggerated and the realty rates could be at best Rs 60,000 a square feet. Potential rates apart, the project is bound to make the developer the king of Mumbai.

Dharavi project has been under discussion by all political parties for quite long. In early 1985, the then Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi sanctioned Rs 100 crores for the improvement of infrastructure and housing for Mumbai and a third of which was reserved for Dharavi.

The challenge of redevelopment of Dharavi is to ensure that all the people are resettled in the same boundaries. Nobody wants to be shifted out even for a short time as it impacts their entire life cycle. The activity post PMGP was at best was scattered. One comes across a few concrete buildings in the slum and a bit of improved infrastructure such as water supply, roads and public toilets, all thanks to Rajiv Gandhi, says Varsha Gaikwad, Congress MLA from this area.

The redevelopment idea picked up some momentum in 2004 when an integrated planned township under a special planning authority was set up and a master plan was created in 2011.Global tenders were floated in 2018 in which Dubai-based Seclink Technologies was the top bidder having quoted Rs 7,200 crores. Adani Realty was T-2 bidder with Rs 4,539 crores. An MoU was to be reached between the Maharashtra Government, Seclink and the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Authority (DRPA).

But the project could not take off due Covid crisis and the subsequent geo-political issues arising out of the Ukraine war, the government said and decided to retender the project in November 2022 after increasing the area by including 45 acres of Railway land which the Centre okayed. This was after the Uddhav Thackeray government resigned in June 2022 following the defections engineered by the BJP. In the retendering process, Adani was the top bidder with Rs 5,069 crores, followed by DLF with Rs 2,025 crores. The government awarded the tender to Adani group.

While Seclink moved the High Court challenging the retendering process accusing the government of lacking transparency, the opposition, now led by the former CM Uddhav Thackeray, launched a tirade against roping in of the Adani Group. In the backdrop of allegations that the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre has been backing Adani in his acquisition various projects such as the airports, infrastructure and ports, the Dharavi redevelopment has come handy for the INDIA bloc. With the elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly due anytime soon, the Dharavi project will remain in focus as Uddhav Thackeray has already declared that if elected, he would scrap the deal with Adani.

Gautam Adani himself spoke of the multiple challenges in the world’s largest urban resettlement and regeneration projects that involve taking care of diverse MSME establishments of various sizes.

There is growing resentment to the plans to relocate families in areas 10 km away. Journalist Paranjoy Guka Thakurta, who has produced a documentary – Dharavi Ka Dada Kaun – says that many people here are living in fear and uncertainty over their future. The plans of redevelopment have not yet been shared with the stakeholders, he says quoting the people who spoke to him off-camera and on-camera. The excess developable area - the TDR is another bone of contention. The rest of the builders in the city, however influential they may be, have been directed by the government to buy 40 per cent of their TDR requirements from the Dharavi project, says a developers’ association office-bearer on the condition of anonymity.

But politics being poli-tricks, much will depend on how the elections will take shape up the State’s future. Meanwhile, there is a talk of the government allotting 250 acres of salt pans for relocating some of the Dharavi plans. Uddhav’s son Aditya Thackeray when he was the state environment minister had vehemently opposed the anti-environment idea of developing real estate on salt pans which are nothing but inter-tidal wetlands.

Adani himself said, “While I have no fixed ideas or preconceived notions about redeveloping Dharavi, what I do have are good intent and an iron will for a human-centric transformation with the people of Dharavi at its centre”.

Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire was based on a Dharavi boy making it big. Adani hopes that Dharavi will produce millionaires without the slumdog prefix.

Most of the people live here under 150 sqft ghettos, according to an official survey. The current redevelopment plan promises 300 square feet size flats and the opposition parties want 500 sqft tenements. In this maximum, everyone has a dream, be it the Dharavi resident or Adani. Will their dream come true? That’s a million-dollar question that the million Dharavites ask.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)