Delhi plans to study Dharavi model to redevelop all slums in Capital

Delhi plans to redevelop 675 slums based on Mumbai's Dharavi model, ensuring slum dwellers vacate after being allotted flats, says CM Gupta.

The Delhi government is planning to redevelop the 675 slums in the Capital along the lines of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, which is the largest slum in Asia, chief minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday. She said slum dwellers who have been allotted flats will have to vacate the slums, she added.

Delhi plans to study Dharavi model to redevelop all slums in Capital

The government is also planning to revive 50,000 flats constructed for EWS (economically weaker sections) long ago to rehabilitate slum dwellers which remained unused because of rigid eligibility norms and political tussle between the central and state government, and have since deteriorated.

“After people get houses, they will have to vacate the jhuggis. I believe that Delhi needs a revival, and in this direction we are also studying the Dharavi model of Mumbai so that we can plan the redevelopment of all 675 jhuggi clusters of Delhi…and it will be done in a very planned way. It cannot happen that the government gives houses to people living in the slums and they still continue to hold on to their jhuggis and not vacate the land. The people living in the jhuggis will have to make commitments, the government will have to make all the efforts and fund generation also has to be ensured,” Gupta said at an event on Friday while inaugurating multiple infrastructure projects.

According to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), the slum management agency of the Delhi government, there are 675 officially recognized jhuggi clusters in the city many of which are located on land owned by both the Delhi government and various central agencies, including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), railways.

Gupa said that many residents of JJ clusters have not vacated even though they have been allotted flats as part of rehabilitation programmes. She referred to the recent demolition drive in Ashok Vihar in north Delhi on June 16 when more than 200 slum units of people who were allotted flats under the in-situ Jailorwala Bagh rehabilitation project were demolished.

“I can say that we will not allow any injustice to be meted out to any jhuggi dweller who has been living here for years. We are making a comprehensive policy on the basis of all the names of jhuggi dwellers and houses registered. Fifth thousand flats were available for years but the previous governments did not allot the flats to the jhuggi dwellers even though many of them had deposited money years ago...now we are making a plan with thousands of crores to revive those flats, make them better and allot them to the jhuggi dwellers. All these plans are in the works. Demolishing the jhuggis is not objective, our objective is to rehabilitate in an organised and smooth way,” Gupta said.

The EWS flats were built under various central and state housing schemes in Bawana and Narela but have remained unoccupied due to factors such as rigid eligibility norms, and political tussle between the central government and state government.

Gupta criticised the previous AAP government during whose term the 50,000 EWS flats could not be allotted to people, and said that the AAP leaders are spreading misinformation among people due to political considerations.