Awhad demands CM Uddhav to expedite Dharavi revamp project

In the backdrop of the Covid-19 crises which gripped Dharavi, housing minister Jitendra Awhad has demanded the expedition of the Dharavi revamp project which has

In the backdrop of the Covid-19 crises which gripped Dharavi, housing minister Jitendra Awhad has demanded the expedition of the Dharavi revamp project which has been struck from the last 16 years.

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In a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Awhad said the time has come to start the execution of this project. “The Covid-19 has played havoc with the Dharavi residents since they live in such small slum dwellings. We should now focus on the redevelopment so that such incidents are prevented in the future,” said Awhad.

Awhad said Thackeray should now take an immediate decision regarding awarding the project to Seclink Technology Corporation (STC), which had won the bid last year or retender the project. “My only contention is that a decision should be taken to revamp [the slums] and our government should do this urgently,” said Awhad.

Currently, Dharavi is a major Covid-19 hotspot where cases are increasing rapidly.

The Dharavi redevelopment committee said that at least now the government should take a serious view of the revamp. “We are living in utmost unhygienic conditions in these slums where social distancing in virtually impossible. The Government should now step in the undertake this process on a war footing,” said Raju Korde, president, of the committee.

The revamp has faced a lot of problems since its inception in 2004. The two main hurdles were eligibility factor, where 63% people in sector 3 were found non-eligible and the large scale pull-out by the developers because of the government’s flip-flop stance.