‘Navi Dharavi’ at Mulund: Housing dept seeks 64 acres from BMC to resettle Dharavi residents

The state government of Mumbai plans to resettle slum dwellers from Dharavi in two plots owned by the BMC in Mulund, measuring 64 acres. These plots will be used to build residential units for people affected by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The housing department has requested the transfer of the land parcels to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd. BJP former MP Kirit Somaiya has objected to the plan, stating that rehabilitating so many people in one area is not appropriate.

Mumbai: Onward with plans of resettling slum dwellers in Dharavi who began living in the slum settlement after the cut-off date of January 1, 2001 in several ‘Navi Dharavis’, the state government has proposed to accommodate a chunk of such residents on two plots owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mulund east measuring 64 acres.

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On Wednesday, the housing department wrote to the urban development department seeking transfer of two plots located near the octroi naka in Mulund to build residential units for people affected by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). The colony in Mulund will be one of several ‘Navi Dharavis’ where nearly 3.5-4 lakh slum dwellers ineligible for rehabilitation in free tenements would be accommodated, said officials from the housing department.

On January 16, HT was the first to report about plans to resettle ineligible Dharavi residents in several ‘Navi Dharavis’. The housing department had, through an order issued on July 13, 2023, appointed Adani Properties Ltd as a partner in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project and formed the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) as a special purpose vehicle for implementation. The order had mentioned that if DRPPL failed to get land for rental housing within 10 km of the project site, it was allowed to look for suitable land in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Accordingly, the housing department has now written to the urban development department, requesting transfer of the land parcel in Mulund. “As per government resolutions in 2018 and 2022, ineligible residents of DRP will be provided residential units under the state government’s affordable and rental housing scheme. To construct buildings for project affected people, two separate land parcels owned by the BMC in Mulund measuring 46 acres and 18 acres respectively will be needed,” the letter from the housing department mentions, urging the principal secretary of the urban development department to transfer these two land parcels to the DRP/slum rehabilitation authority. BMC officials said the plots were located near each other – one plot was near the Thane check naka while the other was on Airoli road.

“DRPPL will pay the price for acquiring the land, while the state government will co-ordinate the land acquisition process,” said an official from the housing department. Facilities in Navi Dharavi – including economic opportunities, education and vocational training, and advanced healthcare facilities – will be on par with the redeveloped Dharavi, DRPPL had mentioned in a statement earlier this week.

BJP former MP Kirit Somaiya objected to the plan, saying, “It will not be appropriate to rehabilitate so many people in one suburban area. There should be no more than 2,000 houses in Mulund. So please reconsider the plan to acquire so much land in Mulund,” said Somaiya in a letter to Valsa Nair-Singh, additional chief secretary, housing development.