Dharavi set for Rs 9,000 crore makeover

A path-breaking effort is being initiated by the Maharashtra government in "total township development" for development and rehabilitation of Asia's biggest slum "" Dharavi.

Known worldwide, Dharavi, the 535-acre sprawling shanty of extreme conditions in central Mumbai, garnered special attention of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh under his Mumbai Vision 2005-25.

"We are attempting a unique effort in pioneering redevelopment of Dharavi into a total township involving a holistic approach," said Maharashtra Principal Secretary Swadheen S Kshatriya. "The estimated Rs 9,000-crore project envisages an 'in-situ' rehabilitation of almost 60,000 families."

Dharavi sits in the heart of the world's third largest city and India's financial capital. It mushroomed over years, attracting the migrant population which often landed in the city of dreams empty-handed, seeking a livelihood.

Variously described, it has been a cause of crime, pollution, filth and environmental degradation, mainly due to congestion, bad constructions, unauthorised trades and overpopulation.

"The government is now keen on regraphing and developing the area into a dignified township," said Kshatriya.

The need for cleaning, decongesting and rehabilitating the slum was felt by the Maharashtra government three years ago and the venture was christened Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) a year later. Finally, a go-ahead has been given with tenders to be floated in about a month.

The proposals were approved "in principle" in 2003 and the Cabinet approval was granted in 2004. However, several local issues, announcement of elections, adverse public opinion and protests by activists had led to delays as government was keen to address the grievances before putting plans into action.

Now, DRP addresses most of the concerns. "It is one of a kind project where people will be rehabilitated in-situ...These six lakh are not going anywhere...DRP has addressed issues of employment, production methods, and housing... all in the same area," Kshatriya pointed out.

A meeting of the empowered committee to discuss project-related matters was held on April 7, and was attended by Chief Secretary D K Shankaran, senior bureaucrats from government, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and also industrialists.

Dharavi is expected to be converted into a planned residential and commercial township through a public-private partnership model. "DRP will adopt a private-public partnership model with investments being called for in open competition. The process will be transparent," said Kshatriya.

The plan envisages dividing the slum into five fully self-sufficient sectors, complete with jogging tracks, open spaces, commercial set-ups, and educational and healthcare institutions.

"Bidding will be invited for each of the five sectors, with the little or no direct state-government investment. We will be mainly overseeing the project," said Secretary (Special Projects) Sanjay Ubale. "It should take about a month for Expression of Interest documents to be ready," he added.

Informally, Dharavi is said to generate Rs 4,700 crore of mainly illegal products, including leather goods, cheap and imitation jewellery, food items, garments and ancillary industrial goods.

But despite its ubiquitous contributions, it was once described by the New York Times in an overview of global cities as "an Asian polluter sullying the region, with children playing in rivulets of sewage ...a gritty shantytown whose filth will reverberate in the region".