In yet another push for the redevelopment of Dharavi slums, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced four floor space index under the revised Development Control Regulations (DCR). The state government plans to provide 300 sq ft of carpet area for the existing occupier of a structure free of cost and additional 100 sq ft of carpet area on payment. The new housing unit after redevelopment would be owned jointly by husband and wife. The redevelopment of sector 5 is expected to entail an investment of Rs 9,000 crore.
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that initially the redevelopment of sector 5 of Dharavi slums would be undertaken on the basis of cluster development. “The proposed redevelopment will benefit nearly 60,000 families and the rehabilitation will be done on the existing location," he informed.
Chavan said the redevelopment would initially be done on those slums situated on government land, and after that slums on private lands would be redeveloped. "The state-run Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority will invite tenders and award contracts to carry out the proposed redevelopment of Dharavi sector 5. For the maintenance and upkeep of the redeveloped buildings, a 10-year-corpus fund will be set up," he added.
Chavan said the state government had already inserted a new chapter in the Maharashtra Slums Act and had amended the DCR whereby the present occupier in the Dharavi sector 5 would be benefited. He informed that small enterprises functioning in the Dharavi sector 5 would also be protected and more amenities would be provided to them.
The chief minister also said that the redevelopment of Dharavi had been hanging in the balance due to anomalies in the DCR and the Maharashtra Slums Act. He also informed that the tender process, initiated after the redevelopment was cleared in 2004, had already been scrapped.
