If you really want to know this entire debate on Dharavi redevelopment, what are the roles of politicians who are opposing it, why they are opposing it, it boils down to only one question as for me– “Humara Kya”? And in this entire thing, Adani has only one reply to his detractors, “Thenga”!!!! and hence the misinterpretation and spreading fake narratives and hiring media to spread rumours seems to be the agenda of Dharavi Redevelopment opposers. But for a common man and for aam Dharavikar, if you make him understand what the project is and how it will happen, I am sure, there will be only “Aye” from every corner of Dharavi for the Adani group. And do you who have in fact, put a stone in the path of Adani? Adani should be miffed with Devendra Fadnavis because this man only thinks of the people, state and equality. It was Devendra Fadnavis who has put the TDR capping condition in such a way, that there will be no monopoly of anyone to take undue financial advantage because of TDR. Just to take you people back, For the first time in history, it was ex PM Late Rajiv Gandhi who had given Rs 100 crores in 1985 for Dharavi at that time, then it was Prithviraj Chavan who wanted this redevelopment dil-se, and ultimately it was the Devendra Fadnavis -Uddhav Thackeray government which floated the tender for the first time in 2018, and later adding few conditions (railway land became available) the tender was cancelled taking opinion of the AG, the tender was recalled and in actual now it is the Shinde and Fadnavis government who are taking it through…People who are opposing it, have ruled Dharavi for years, had their monopolies on the builders, can’t see such a huge project going without getting anything, and hence are shouting on top of their voices to not let it happen.
Now please understand very clearly whatever Aaditya Thackeray said or Varsha Gaikwad said or are saying, and what Adani wants to communicate is totally a different thing. As per law, in Dharavi redevelopment who all should be given houses? Obviously whoever stays in slums right? Slums are never only ground floors. Whatever they build on top of their sums is illegal. Now tell me, isn’t it due to the blessings of politicians that every slum in your city and country has ground +++ floors wherein there are ineligible people staying in our city? Varsha Gaikwad and Aaditya Thackeray, where were you all these years? Had you been aware like this before, so many illegal activities would have stopped right from duplication of food to pin, gangs and what not…Never ever, had you been so emotional about Dharavi and just when someone has raised his hand to bring these dwellers back in mankind, what is your pain? Adani has shown a big heart and is accommodating and building houses not only for the slum dwellers but also for the illegal and illegible people staying there, who technically should be thrown out, right? By the way, when Uddhav Thackeray was part of the government led by Devendra Fadnavis in 2018 and when the first time tender was floated in the same year, didn’t it have provision of rehabilitating only ground floor tenements and all upper floor tenements holders (ineligible) would be simply thrown out?
Every inch of the land that will be used by Adani for the redevelopment be the nature park, railway land or salt pan will be entirely owned by the STATE GOVERNMENT and no one is selling our dearest Mumbai to anyone. When ownership of the land is with the Government, what is the problem? Then you argued that railway land was supposed to be transit camp land. Mahim Nature Park and Tata Power receiving station and other 175 acre land are excluded portions. No development can happen there. Adani group will only build modern townships for ineligible dwellers at free of cost and hand it over to the State government. In fact, the Adani group is not in favour of sending anyone to the Transit camp. The reason they are asking for extra land is because at first they want to build houses for these dwellers and shift them there. It is a key to key solution. This means even upper floor tenement holders (ineligible) homes need to be ready before possession of the tenement is taken, but for that land will be required na ? DRP or the Government of Maharashtra does not intend to build vertical slums, mind you. The townships will have 17% land for roads, 18% for open and green spaces and 7% for social infrastructure like schools and healthcare facilities as per TENDER norms and DCPR. Also, 10% of the land will be used for constructing commercial spaces which will be handed over to housing societies of residents which will be an alternative source of income for maintaining the society.
The condition TDR generated from Dharavi will get precedence over all other TDR, was published through GR three days prior to issuance of tender documenting. Adani can’t charge any price it wants. The pricing of TDR is capped at 90% of ready reckoner rate of that area. The BMC is preparing and will maintain a portal on which TDR generated from Dharavi will be reflected in real time. The premium waiver about which Aditya is talking about is mentioned in the tender document. Under clauses of what benefits the winning bidder will get from the state government. Now the government is only formalsing the decision through a routine bureaucratic process.
Just to clarify one more thing, as you can ask this question in the next conclave …Will there be an ecological imbalance with salt pan land and Kurla Mother Dairy land? The answer is NO. Because these land parcels are on the western side of the Eastern Expressway and not on the creek side and there is no question of flooding during high tide or monsoon. These land parcels do not fall under CRZ restrictions. These lands in fact were marked for affordable housing in DP 2034 which was approved in 2018. The same land was identified by the MVA government, for the Crashed of Metro Line -3 between Colaba and SEEPZ.
To answer one more question and clear the air. Some Dubai based company had at first bidded for the redevelopment at a higher cost backed by few giants there and few Gujaratis friends of ours, who went there. Boss, they did not have any experience in building a toilet for the BMC, forget redeveloping Dharavi….Jaane Do na yaar, unnecessary if skeletons are dug these promoters will be friends of someone big here of our nightlife group.
– Vikrant Hemant Joshi
