All changes made to benefit Adani: Congress alleges TDR scam in Dharavi redevelopment scheme

The minister is likely to respond to the discussion on Friday.

The Development Control Regulations (DCR) is a set of norms governing the process of urban development. Gaikwad, who represents the Dharavi Assembly constituency alleged that the principle of indexation has been changed to help Adani. “And even allowing to load this TDR in South Mumbai, when no TDR can be loaded in the South, and all TDR has to be loaded only northwards for all other projects. All this is being done to favour only the SPV,” she claimed.

“There will be no indexation of TDR generated in Dharavi, meaning it will not be certified as slum TDR. Dharavi is a special project which has an FSI of 4, and no TDR is generated. But now the government has allowed TDR to be generated and sold with no indexation on the pricing, as well as mandatorily buying 40 per cent of TDR from Dharavi SPV. Adani will get TDR at just 50 per cent the cost, and instead of slum TDR they are getting general TDR,” she said.

Gaikwad said that the Hindenburg report had already raised questions on the company’s financial stability. “The changes are only being made to benefit Adani,” Gaikwad said, pointing out how Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had mentioned that during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latter had asked about the Dharavi redevelopment Project.

“This change is post-facto. Is it even allowed when the original tender had no mention of it? No suggestions or objections were sought, when these changes were made. I request the state government to not go ahead with this change,” said Gaikwad.

The Congress MLA alleged that all the changes are being brought to ensure a profit to Adani. “In 2018, a global tender was sought at Rs 7,200 crore, wherein 19 companies made a bid. Later the tender was cancelled saying Railway land was not available. As a result, yet another global tender was issued in 2022, and it was given to Adani at Rs 5,069 crore,” she said.

“We have been constantly questioning as to how a new tender figure was less than the older one by Rs 2,132 crore? This time, the tender conditions were modified in a manner that only a selected entity bags the tender. Even the wWork experience eligibility was reduced,” she said.

Dharavi stands on a slice of prime land in the heart of Mumbai. It is just a stone’s throw from India’s richest business district, the Bandra-Kurla Complex, where commercial office premiums are among the highest in the country.

The slum sprawl, which is spread over 2.8 sqkm, is home to an informal leather and pottery industry which employs over a lakh people. The state had envisaged this sprawl be transformed into a cluster of high-rises with improved urban infrastructure. It entailed resettling 68,000 people, including slum dwellers as well as those with commercial establishments.