State housing body seeks clarity from Maharashtra government over Dharavi Redevelopment

The state government's October 16 decision to redevelop all five sectors of Dharavi together as one, via a special purpose vehicle (SPV), will likely transform one of the biggest slums in the continent. But it has produced a dilemma for the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority.

MHADA had already started redeveloping sector V, the part close to Bandra Kurla Complex which has certain empty pockets. The authority does not know what will become of the homes it has already built, now the government has decided to redevelop all of Dharavi together. The housing body has therefore sought clarity from the government on the matter.

In May 2011, MHADA was appointed to redevelop sector V, and it has since constructed 358 homes, each 300 sq ft, to rehabilitate slum dwellers. Currently 672 tenements are under construction and proposals for 687 tenements have been passed.

A senior MHADA official looking after the redevelopment of sector V said, "Earlier this week the government resolution specified that all the sectors were under the purview of the redevelopment to be carried out by SPV. The whole Dharavi will be redeveloped as one. But there's no clarity on what happens to the work done by MHADA in sector V, a lot of money, has already been poured into rehabilitating slum dwellers in sector V."

He added: "We have already constructed buildings, and more than 350 slum dwellers have been rehabilitated. There are close to 672 homes that are under construction, or to be honest. they are in the last stage of construction. What happens to them?"

Deepender Singh Kushwaha, the chief executive officer of MHADA's Mumbai Board, said, "A government resolution issued over Dharavi does not clarify important issues of sector V. We will refer our issues to the government to get them clarified."

TO BE DEVELOPED

• 535 acres: Toral  area of land in Dharavi
   
• 59,000: No. of slum dwellers, eligible if they were staying in the slums since before Jan 1, 2000
   
• 350 sq ft: Area of each of tenements that will be given to slum dwellers
   
• 20 per cent govt contribution; 80 per cent from developers and consortium of developers