The master plan for the Dharavi redevelopment project--that is being formalised by the Adani-owned Navbharat Mega Developers Private Ltd which is also undertaking the project--will be completed in a month’s time, said officials in the know of the matter. "The master plan has been created by NMDPL, but some corrections and revisions are needed. It will take approximately a month for these changes to be made, after which the plan will be disclosed to the public,” said S.V.R. Srinivas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dharavi redevelopment project. The master plan is being developed based on previous survey reports, although the ongoing survey work is not yet complete. Srinivas noted that in addition to these reports, the existing development plan is also being considered as part of the master plan's formulation. Srinivas further said survey of around 1.4 lakh homes and properties have been completed. This survey is a crucial part of the redevelopment process, as it will categorize residential and commercial settlements as either eligible or ineligible for housing. Residents who qualify will be allotted homes within Dharavi or within a 10km radius of the area, depending on their eligibility status. "The survey will determine who is eligible for housing and where they will be allotted,” Srinivas said. "We are also including provisions for settlements that have upper or mezzanine floors. In fact, this redevelopment is the first slum project that will offer housing for all eligible residents in situ." For eligible residents, the government has made provisions under the Pradhan Mantri housing model, which includes housing schemes in areas like the Deonar dumping ground, Railway Land, and Kurla dairy land, among others. According to the eligibility criteria for people to get homes, ground-floor residents who settled in Dharavi before January 1, 2000, will be eligible for a 350 sqft home within Dharavi at no cost. Those who settled between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, will receive a 300 sqft home outside Dharavi at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Residents who live in upper-floor structures built before November 15, 2022, and ground-floor tenements constructed between January 1, 2011, and November 15, 2022, will be offered rented accommodations outside Dharavi. These residents will also have the option of a hire-purchase scheme for 300 sqft homes. The Dharavi redevelopment project will involve an investment of approximately Rs 2 to 3 lakh crore, including significant development of infrastructure. "So far, nearly Rs 4,000 crore has already been pumped into the project," Srinivas added. NMDPL will be responsible for constructing 100 million sqft for the rehabilitation component of the project. In exchange, the developer will earn the right to build 140 million sqft for the free-sale component. Srinivas said the total rehabilitation of residents would cost Rs 25,000 crore. In terms of land, the project has already been allocated around 300 acres such as the Deonar dumping ground, Aksa land in Malad, Mulund land and salt pan land in Bhandup and Kanjurmarg, Kurla Dairy land. A total of 47.5 acres of railway land has also been acquired. The entire Dharavi redevelopment project is expected to be completed within seven years, pending the obtaining of the commencement certificate. "This is a complex and large-scale project, but we are confident that it will significantly transform Dharavi over the next few years,” Srinivas said.
