The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, one of India’s largest ‘urban renewal’ projects, has been mired in controversy.
The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the tender awarded to the Adani Group for the Dharavi redevelopment project. The petition was filed by a private firm competing for the award after the previous tender was canceled in 2019. The petitioner called for a fresh tender, but the court dismissed the petition, giving significant relief to the Adani Group.
One of India’s largest ‘urban renewal’ projects, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project has been mired in controversy. The Adani Group’s involvement in the project has raised questions, but the group aims to restore the dignity of Dharavi’s more than one million residents.
Earlier this year, Adani Group founder and chairman Gautam Adani said the Dharavi redevelopment was not just “urban renewal” but “restoring dignity for our country’s more than one million residents”. He emphasized that the project will create an unparalleled ecosystem of sustainable living and transform the world’s largest settlement over the next decade. The Adani Group is working in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra on this project.
As per the agreement, the redevelopment will provide flats with independent kitchens and toilets to eligible residential tenants in Dharavi. The minimum size of the new houses will be 350 square feet, which is said to be 17 percent larger than the average size of other slum redevelopment projects in Mumbai.
The Rs 23,000-crore project has faced opposition, with some alleging that it will disproportionately benefit the Adani Group. However, DRPPL sources clarified that the railway land was acquired at a premium of 170 per cent over the prevailing market rate. Regarding the concerns raised by the residents of Dharavi, they assured to follow the government decisions to ensure that the project does not lead to displacement. Residents with existing tenements on or before January 1, 2000 are eligible for in-situ rehabilitation within Dharavi, while others will receive houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana outside Dharavi.
The project reportedly follows environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, aiming to plant thousands of trees to increase green cover. Additionally, the project has a focus on sustainability, with four million trees already planted across India, and the group reportedly committed to planting one trillion trees.
In response to land allotment concerns, sources close to the project clarified to ANI that the land will not be transferred directly to Adani but to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRPPL). They assured that the prescribed procedures under the Maharashtra Land Revenue (Disposal of Government Land) Rules, 1971 were followed.
Also, it was suggested that the survey should be conducted by the government and not by Adani for redevelopment. DRPPL sources also clarified that, like other Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects in Maharashtra, DRP, along with SRA, is conducting surveys with third-party experts. DRPPL’s role is limited to facilitation, ensuring that the survey process is fair and in line with government norms.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published by ANI)