Dharavi redevelopment: Provide 400 sq ft homes for all residents, AAP lists key demands

Aam Aadmi Party vice-president Sandeep Katke said a new survey must be conducted if the government genuinely aims to redevelop Dharavi.

The party sought homes for all residents of Dharavi under the project. (File photo)

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The people of Mumbai’s Dharavi, which is home to one of the largest slums in the world, are demanding transparency in the plan for its development as well as representation in the project, Preeti Sharma Menon, president of Aam Aadmi Party Mumbai, said at a press conference Monday. The party also sought homes for all residents of Dharavi under the project.

Alleging that Dharavi residents were not adequately consulted in the project, she said there is a lack of clarity regarding the policy for small business owners and home-based businesses in the redevelopment plan.

According to the AAP, “The Adani Group company has been awarded 10 crore square feet of development rights for only Rs 5,069 crore, along with additional land provided by the railways through government funds.” The last survey of the area was conducted in 2008, while the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) states that the qualification date for structures should be in 2011, AAP leaders emphasised.

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Aam Aadmi Party vice-president Sandeep Katke said a new survey must be conducted if the government genuinely aims to redevelop Dharavi. Approximately 80 per cent of the people in Dharavi rely on local businesses, which need to be protected, he said. It is crucial that no families are displaced in the name of redevelopment.

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In addition, it is essential to prepare a separate plan and provide a suitable developed place for Koliwada residents in Dharavi. The people of Kumbhar Wada should also be granted 4 FSI (floor space index) and a separate developed place, Katke said, underlining that the state government must consider all the demands of Dharavi residents and fulfil them.

The AAP went on to list its demands in connection with the Dharavi Redevelopment Project:

1. Provide a free 405 sq ft house for all residents of Dharavi.

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2. Conduct a fresh survey, with the last day of the survey serving as the cut-off date for eligibility.

3. Simultaneously initiate work in all sectors.

4. Release the master plan of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project for public access.

5. Include the slums of Tata Power Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Prem Nagar in the project, providing free housing within Dharavi.

6. Establish schemes for small-scale industries, including leather, textile, plastic and pottery.

7. Rehabilitate ineligible tenements through the rent scheme within Dharavi.

8. Provide housing societies with adequate corpus funds.

9. Offer fair prices to private landowners.

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10. Provide special provisions for the development of Kumbharwada and Dharavi Koliwada.

11. Commence development work only after publishing Annexure II.

12. Name the Dharavi project after Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

13. Implement the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana on Dharavi land.

14. Provide free housing within Dharavi for all residents.

15. Exclude Mahim Nature Park from the Dharavi Development Project.

16. Rehabilitate commercial slums and factories within Dharavi.

17. Form a committee of Dharavi Residents.

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