'DNA' investigation: Racketeers get away with killing a million dreams

The Dharavi redevelopment could never take off because everyone involved in the project were too busy looking after his/her own interests.

Some such as the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centre (SPARC) and the Dharavi Bachao Andolan (DBA) spread misinformation to scuttle the project. And funnily enough the government knew of the misdoings but never really cracked the whip.

DNA is the first to have a copy of the letter, dated September 6, 2004, addressed to Joachim Arputham, director of SPARC, from Chandrakant Rasam, who was then the under secretary, state housing department, saying clearly that Arputham's group was involved in illegal activities in the name of the project.

A portion of the letter reads: "For holistic development of Dharavi, development schemes are being conducted and as per the decision of the state government, surveys are to be carried out under the DRP.

“During these surveys, it has been found that your association has been asking residents of some parts of Dharavi to fill form (Pra.P.Tra-2) and deposit Rs20,000 in the bank for maintenance of the buildings that will come up in future.

“This is illegal. The government has not directed for this action. The work that is being carried by you need to be stopped immediately and intimated to the responsible persons.”  

These groups played double games. On the one hand they carried out illegal activities in the name of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) and on the other hand they created needless issues to oppose the project and delay it and to mislead and confuse residents.

In 2007 when the government called for global tenders, the DBA organised a protest march against the DRP and demanded bigger homes for slum-dwellers. It was easy for the group to persuade people to join their protest because they felt the DBA was making a rightful demand. Also, the group gained credibility among Dharavi residents when some newspapers reported the protest march, highlighting the demand.

The DBA, led by Raju Korde of the CPI(M), has people from diverse political backgrounds (Shiv Sena, other Left parties) with a common objective of using the DRP to gain political mileage.

In the 2007 municipal elections, Korde created a group of six people who contested 15 seats using the "demerits" of the DRP as the main election plank. Unconfirmed reports say Korde gets his funds from Arputham. It is a different matter though that all six lost the election as well as their deposit money.

The newspaper reports, however, had a positive effect too. The Prime Minister's Office took note of it and sent a letter on July 11, 2007, to the state chief secretary asking him to send a detailed report on the DRP's status, along with the state government's comments regarding the issues raised in the reports.

IS Chahal, the present principal secretary (medical education and drugs department), was then the OSD (officer on special duty), DRP. His reply, a comprehensive report, exposed the vested interests working against the DRP.

DNA has an exclusive copy of the report that reads: "Some vested interest parties are trying to misguide Dharavi residents against this GoM's [state government] ambitious project by giving false promises to them with the intention to stall the project for ulterior motives."

Chahal had also highlighted how the SPARC and the DBA were trying to stall the project. The report also says that the government had explained the project on numerous occasions to these groups but they kept making needless demands. 

"Joachim Arputham, who opposes this project, is an office bearer of SPARC. The Hon'ble CM took note of their dissent and advised the housing secretary to understand the issues involved", Chahal said in his report. 

A meeting was held at the office of HDFC where the OSD gave a detailed presentation on the DRP. Committee members of Bombay First Citizen Action Group, (comprising major industrialists and eminent personalities), senior state government officials and members of various NGOs apart from the SPARC office bearers were present at the meeting. Everyone had appreciated the presentation, Chahal said. 

Thereafter, another meeting was convened at the office of the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG) in the presence of the secretaries of the housing and the urban development departments where several points were raised by two schools of architecture - the Kamala Raheja School of Architecture, Mumbai, and the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad. The issues raised by the two schools and the representatives of the SPARC were discussed at length and resolved, according to the report.
A third presentation was held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary. Representatives of several NGOs (SPARC, PROUD) and the high-powered committee of secretaries (CoS) were present at the meeting.
When SPARC representatives raised certain issues, PROUD office-bearers - who live in Dharavi - opposed it and said the government should consider only the views of the people of Dharavi and not of outsiders who are least bothered about the needs of Dharavi people, Chahal said.
Chahal was one of the members in the CoS at that time. "Through evaluation it was felt by the CoS that most of the objections by [SPARC] were meritless and intended to derail the project."
One more meeting, chaired by the chief minister, was held to discuss various suggestions and objections. While MPs and MLAs from Dharavi belonging to the Shiv Sena and the Congress, along with corporators and NGOs from the area, were present at the meeting, SPARC was absent despite being invited. Those present strongly supported the project, he said in his report.
Apart from the SPARC, Chahal's report exposes the misinformation spread by Raju Korde of the DBA. "He is trying to gain public support by promising them more than what is practically feasible or permissible under SRA rules. He is also trying to misguide people about the project. For example, he is assuring people that he can get them 400 sqft homes instead of 225 sqft as per the present SRA rules," Chahal said in his report.
Hariram Dilliwala, president, PROUD (Dharavi-based NGO), said such vested interests do not want Dharavi to be redeveloped as it would kill their source of foreign funds.

ENDS