Dons at Dharavi to be displaced!

MUMBAI: The redevelopment of Asia's largest slum - Dharavi - has finally got off the ground, with the
Maharashtra government, on Wednesday, deciding to float global tenders for the same by next month.

At a meeting at Mantralaya (state secretariat), which was chaired by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, it was decided that global tenders would be floated in June for redevelopment of the 144 acres of land in central Mumbai where Dharavi is located.

The redevelopment project would cost an estimated Rs 5,600 crore and the entire amount would be borne by the developers selected after the tender process, an official release said here.

The slum dwellers in Dharavi would be shifted to seven-storyed buildings under the plan, and the final list of
developers would be finalised by September.

Under the plan, roads, grounds, gardens, schools and hospitals would be built by developers, but Deshmukh cautioned that all this would be done only after taking the views of the residents into consideration.

Residents would be given a 225 sq ft house and the requirement of land for commercial purposed would also be identified, the release quoted Deshmukh as saying.

Arputham said, "Past experience shows that such partnerships can save developers time and money, while
ensuring that the needs of the urban poor are addressed."

"We want a partnership in making both these development plans and other plans in Mumbai a success," he said.

Arputham had previously helped to organise successful partnerships between the urban poor and developers. Between 2001 and 2003, slum dwellers and their federations in Mumbai worked with the state government and railway authorities to move 60,000 people whose homes were next to the railway tracks
to allow rail improvements.

There was no conflict and they moved on the designated day. Slum dwellers' federations are involved in many other partnerships with local governments and businesses – for instance in making space for public works and building and managing hundreds of community toilets and many housing schemes, he said.

Meanwhile, David Satterthwaite, senior fellow with the Human Settlements Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said in a communication here, "Arputham and the savings groups and federations formed by slum dwellers in Mumbai have shown their capacity to work with
government and businesses in improving slums or re-housing slum dwellers on a very large scale."

"If the tenders are not favourable to the slum dwellers demands, then they are also capable of organising huge protest rallies," Satterthwaite said.