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Thackeray camp gears up for morcha against Adani Group over Dharavi project

By, Mumbai
Dec 16, 2023 08:16 AM IST

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray plans to lead a protest march against the alleged favoritism of the Dharavi redevelopment project towards Adani Group.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is all set to lead a morcha from Dharavi to the Adani Realty office in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on Saturday in protest against the Eknath Shinde government’s alleged favouritism towards it in awarding the project to redevelop one of Asia’s largest slums.

Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai, India, is seen on Friday, May 5, 2023. The neighborhood receives municipal water from outside spigots for a few hours each morning. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (AP)
Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai, India, is seen on Friday, May 5, 2023. The neighborhood receives municipal water from outside spigots for a few hours each morning. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (AP)

However, police are yet to grant permission for it.

Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut said the rally would go on as per plan with or without police permission. “We have written to the city police commissioner and the deputy commissioners for zone 5 and zone 8 but have not heard from them. Our leaders like Uddhavji, Adityaji, Subhash Desai, Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, and Anil Parab will participate in it.”

Buttressing Raut’s claim, his party colleague and MLC Parab said they are not even asking for permission now. “The morcha will begin at T junction in Dharavi and there will be a meeting near Fataka maidan in BKC.”

When contacted, deputy commissioner of police for zone 5, Manoj Patil, said, “We are talking to Sena (UBT) leaders and will take a call soon.”

Also among the attendees will be Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai Congress chief and local MLA, who recently alleged in the assembly that Adani Group had hired former police officers to force slum dwellers to vacate their homes.

When Dharavi is redeveloped, a friend of the government must not benefit from it, said Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray. “There must be government control over the project. When we were in power, we started the BDD redevelopment project and saw to it that the government was the only beneficiary.”

The party has even come up with a teaser for the protest.

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Uddhav Thackeray had said several suspicious decisions had been taken by the state government to benefit Adani Group in the Dharavi redevelopment project. “A TDR (transferable development rights) sale clause is one of them. Enough information is available to raise suspicion if the government is trying to benefit Adani at the cost of Dharavi residents.”

City BJP chief and MLA Ashish Shelar said in the assembly on Friday said those who are opposing the redevelopment of Dharavi and demanding houses of 500 square feet each were the ones who floated a tender for the project.

“It was the Thackeray government that had laid down the terms and conditions and had also decided on aspects like TDR, etc. Why didn’t they take a call to provide houses of 500 square feet each?” he said and added that the opposition has no right to question the Mahayuti government.

Shelar also claimed that several development projects had been opposed by Sena (UBT) and cited a few examples such as installation of LED lights, allowing advertisements on BEST buses to generate revenue, and the Mumbai-Delhi corridor.

“They are interested in stalling projects. They do not care about Mumbaikars who have been living in bad conditions in Dharavi’s slums for so many years,” he added.

The state government in July formally awarded the 259-hectare Dharavi redevelopment project to the Adani Group firm.

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