Just when it appeared that the long-delayed Dharavi Redevelopment Project was on track,it has hit another obstacle,in the form of a strongly-worded letter from a government-appointed committee of experts to the government,recommending that the project management consultant,Mukesh Mehta,be immediately removed. Mehta,known to have conceived the project nearly a decade ago,has had only a perfunctory participation during the deliberations among bidders on the masterplan for Dharavi,his urban design guidelines to them have been hopelessly inadequate and his continued involvement would be detrimental to the project,says the letter,sent to the government three days ago. It is known that the committee of experts,comprising urban planners and architects under the leadership of former chief secretary D M Sukhthankar,had misgivings about Mehta from the outset,but the precipitating factor for the current letter is unclear. Addressed to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan,it is signed by the 10 committee members. Yes,he should not be allowed to continue, Sukhthankar told Newsline. The grounds include various parameters including his performance so far,the fact that his appointment did not follow a transparent bidding process and that the project was about to be started without socio-economic surveys or topographical surveys. Mehta had been appointed by a government resolution dated 2004 and also signed an agreement with the state government late last year. But the committee of experts was also appointed by a government resolution last year. So nothing stops the government from taking a fresh view of Mehtas appointment, said a senior government official,preferring to remain anonymous. The committee of experts,originally vocal opponents of the project,was appointed to incorporate various stakeholders ideas on the physical and socio-economic design of Dharavis redevelopment into the project. Was it in their mandate to assess the performance of the project management consultant? It is not specifically in our terms of reference, admitted Sukhthankar,adding that the members believed they should state their opinion and advise the government in the interest of the project. Their letter also mentions the colossal fee of over Rs 100 crore being paid to Mehta and an alleged conflict of interests posed by Mehtas earlier role as a developer. For his part,Mehta said he is not aware of such a letter. If such allegations have indeed been made,they are merit-less and irresponsible, he said,adding that he would not like to discuss the allegations right now. Though a copy of the letter was marked to Officer on Special Duty for the project and vice-president of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority Gautam Chatterjee,he was unavailable for comment. Government officials are hotly denying that this is a clash of personalities taking precedence over the smooth execution of an already delayed project,but admit that a compromise formula could be thrashed out. In the meantime,the fate of the plan to turn a sprawling shantytown in the heart of Mumbai into an integrated commercial and residential township hangs in balance.
