Dharavi Redevelopment Project: Housing survey nearing end, more residents reach out to join

According to the project officials, the helpline has received approximately 700 calls within the last month. Of these, nearly 41 per cent pertained to inquiries regarding door-to-door surveys, they added. This indicates that a large number of residents are now attempting to get their tenements onto the eligibility list, which is an essential condition for getting benefits from the redevelopment scheme.

Few communities and tenements have, till date, refused to participate in the survey process. These are pockets of Kumbharwada, Compound 13, and some private housing plots found in various clusters of slums. But DRP officials pointed out that even in pockets that had resisted earlier, like Kumbharwada, people have begun coming forward in the last two days to have their houses numbered and marked.

“We are encouraged by the level of participation and quality of feedback we are getting from residents. That almost half the calls are regarding the survey process indicates that citizens are aware, interested, and keen to take part in the transformation. We stay true to an open, people-centric redevelopment process with communication ongoing at every step. This is a housing-for-all project,” a DRP official said.

In addition to survey requests, the helpline has also handled inquiries on documents needed for eligibility verification, timelines for allocation and information on the size and location of the proposed housing units. Some of the questions were also regarding numbering for rooms on upper floors and latest awareness campaigns urging residents to get surveyed.

“We seek to redevelop Dharavi without disrupting its social and economic networks, proposing rehousing more than 10 lakh residents. The project entails provisions for formal housing, basic infrastructure and public services for eligible residents,” the official added.