MUMBAI: A few thousand residents of Dharavi will need to relocate to temporary or rental accommodation as part of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), according to Mahendra Kalyankar, CEO of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and in charge of the DRP. This statement contradicts previous commitments for key-to-key rehabilitation.
Kalyankar emphasized that such relocations are a part of any extensive urban regeneration effort. “Our immediate goal is to initiate construction and commence rehabilitation as soon as possible,” he stated.
The SRA/DRP has recently delivered eviction notices to 42 residents of Meghwadi-Ganesh Nagar in Sector 1 to facilitate the laying of a new sewer line by BMC. Eligible residents for free housing are being offered Rs 18,000 in rental assistance, while those on upper floors are receiving Rs 15,000.
Additionally, 302 residents from Shatabdi Nagar have been relocated to Mhada tenements in Sector 5, which were previously intended for permanent housing but are now classified as transit accommodations. Activist Raju Korde from the Dharavi Bachao Andolan remarked that three years back, 300 residents were resettled in these flats, and the current group is being offered rental units in the same building. “This should serve as a caution to the residents,” he warned.
