A day after Uddhav Thackeray announced that he would lead a protest march to the Adani group’s office in Mumbai on December 16 over the Dharavi Redevelopment project, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Wednesday termed the Sena UBT chief “anti-development” and said that he was trying to prevent poor people from getting houses. Thackeray had accused the state government of favouring the business conglomerate by awarding the Dharavi redevelopment project. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of commencement of Winter Session in Nagpur, Shinde said, “The Sena UBT keeps opposing every development project. And then says that the mega projects went out of the state. They have always taken anti-development stand and have stalled several mega infrastructure projects during the MVA government. We restarted all these projects. Dharavi slum redevelopment project is the biggest slum redevelopment project of Asia." Fadnavis hit back at Thackeray over the objections raised by him on the terms and conditions of the tender for Dharavi redevelopment project saying that the terms and conditions were changed during the Uddhav Thackeray government itself. “Thackeray initially opposed the refinery project at the Nanar site. Later he himself suggested Barsu Solgaon as an alternative site to the Centre through a letter. Now he is opposing that as well. Similarly, the first tender for Dharavi project was also cancelled by Thackeray's government and after that, another tender was floated. Now he is opposing the terms and conditions mentioned in that tender, which was prepared and approved by his government. No conditions have been changed by Shinde led government." The deputy CM accused also Thackeray of “trying to create friction” between the people of Dharavi. “Our government has brought transparency in the Dharavi redevelopment project. We have made a change that the sale of Transfer of Development Rights(TDR) will have to be done digitally instead of on paper,” he added. In July, the Maharashtra government formally awarded the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment project to an Adani Group firm. Uddhav demanded that people of Dharavi must get a space having an area of around 400-500 square feet and not just 350 square feet. Uddhav also said that the state government should create a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) bank and the government itself should sell the TDR instead of allowing Adani to sell the TDR privately. Shinde further said that Thackeray does not want ordinary and poor people of Dharavi to get their own homes. “Thackeray stalled major infrastructure projects and irrigation projects in Maharashtra. His son ensured that the metro project in Aarey was stalled even after the Supreme Court had cleared it,” the CM said. Shinde also alleged that Thackeray is terrorising big business houses and plans to drive out investments in Maharashtra. “The whole world knows who reinstated the man who planted explosives under the house of the most respected business house of India,” Shinde said while referring to dismissed police Sachin Vaze, who was arrested in the Antillia bomb scare case.
