Realty goldmine or citizen minefield, Dharavi makeover gets wiggle room

Asia's largest urban slum, spread over 600 acres in the heart of India's financial capital, is home to an informal leather and pottery industry employing over 100,000

Shankar Prajapati, a 57-year-old potter in Dharavi, has given up hope of getting a bigger house for his family. He lives cheek by jowl in a hutment measuring 200 square (sq.) feet (ft) in the nondescript shanty town.

“We have surrendered to our fate. We cannot wait forever for better accommodation. Perhaps we are not meant to dream big,” despairs Prajapati.

Raju Korde, president, Dharavi Redevelopment Committee, and a local resident, agrees with Prajapati. “It has been 18 long years since the project was envisaged. At every election, promises are made. The people of Dharavi feel shortchanged,” he says. 

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