Asia's biggest slum Dharavi being redeveloped

NEW DELHI: Asia's biggest slum, Dharavi, is being redeveloped through a transparent global tendering process, the Maharashtra government said on Tuesday.

"Dharavi Redevelopment Project has been given momentum and the entire area is being redeveloped through a transparent global tendering process," Maharashtra Housing and Slum Improvement Minister Pritamkumar Shegaonkar said, adding the state government declared 2009 as the "Year of Housing" to focus on affordable housing.

The minister was speaking at the National Conference of Housing Ministers, headed by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, here.

"We have declared the year 2009 as the 'Year of Housing' with a focus on affordable housing. In this year, various schemes of affordable housing will be implemented in association with the private sector," Shegaonkar said.

A series of policy reforms is underway to facilitate the execution of schemes, he said.

"For affordable housing, we have directed MHADA (Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority) to construct one lakh houses in the coming two years," he added.

Shegaonkar said that the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme (SRS) of the government, which has provision to provide dwelling unit of 269 square feet area free of cost to the eligible slum dwellers, is being implemented in the cities of Mumbai with a view to making the metropolis slum free.

Appreciating the Maharashtra government's initiatives, the Union Minister said other states "should also follow" suit.