Honestly I don't care at this point what is done in terms of relocation of the slum dwellers. As long as they get equal or better housing in return and can be moved to make way for all the airport expansion I am happy. No it won't help the slum dwellers much to be relocated because they will still be uneducated and poor. However a larger airport means more business, more foreign investment, and the new terminal will certainly give tourists and foreigners a much better impression of Mumbai. Mumbai is in dire need of a new and better terminal and the benefits of that outweigh those of the slum dwellers that would be relocated.

What really should happen is that the slum dwellers have a social worker per every 5-10 families to help them find very cheap labor and education for their children even though the investment would be enormous in the long run it would pay off. Honestly I am sick of those who oppose the move because they feel it is cruel to those in the slum who have illegally encroached the land. Yes they had nowhere to go, but really moving the away to another location is not wrong if they are their illegally.

the vast majority of immigrants into bombay are maharashtrian. time to kick them out

^^ dont f****** care if they are mahrashtrans,southies ,or northies just throw them out , unless the rural areas are developed the migration will continue unabated and no amt of rehab programs is gonna solve the problems of slums in mumbai.

the vast majority of immigrants into bombay are maharashtrian. time to kick them out

totally

they are the result of constant crop failures in the rest of the state.

and dont try to make this a marathi non marathi debate. Cause you clearly have not read my message properly.

cause mumbai cant house more people without the means to buy or rent proper houses.

Throw them out? Are you serious?

I was under the impression that this discussion was about rehabilitation of slum dwellers and not mass-displacement of millions of people.

Throw them out? Are you serious?

squatting is illegal according to indian law.

are you seriously suggesting we dont follow the law?

If you can afford a house via rent etc then fine. But no more slums.

squatting is illegal according to indian law.

are you seriously suggesting we dont follow the law?

If you can afford a house via rent etc then fine. But no more slums.

Yeah. Why don't you follow the law and start 'throwing out' people. I'd LOVE to see how you are going to implement it.

Disgusting. Honestly.

Yeah. Why don't you follow the law and start 'throwing out' people. I'd LOVE to see how you are going to implement it.

by the police force

how else?

Do you want mumbai to become 90% slum and expect people to just sit back and take no drastic action?

Yeah. Please do that. Lets see how far you go.

and honestly marathaman

(a) either we have a law which makes squatting legal

or

(b) we try to follow the law from now on.


cause we cant have this in between thing on such a serious issue such as squatting.

I work hard and pay my taxes. I deserve some quality of life and not be bombarded by slums everywhere I look.

Lets not be all morally high and pass comments on how disgusting it is to eradicate slums while living thousands of miles away in a foreign land ....

Yeah. Please do that. Lets see how far you go.

they are already doing that in thane.

the result is a reduction in slums from 50% in 1990 to 33-35% in 2007 and many more set to go.

I have seen first hand the removal of those slums. If the tmc can do it then so can mumbai.

^^ and where do you think the people would have moved off too either to another some existing 'legal slums ' or the nearest haven for them mumbai .Problem is they havent solved any thing instead created more mess...

slums are everywhere!! they are more concentrated in Mumbai because it is the financial capital, more opportunities. The slum dwellers, even though they cause the distortion of daily life are the reason why Mumbai is what it is!! they contribute in the form of cheap labour or in the case of dharavi (of what i have heard) with small scale industries! You cant just kick them out without affecting what Mumbai is!

The point is that mumbai's housing problems as far as i can see have more to do with moronic ancient laws governing the real estate sector than to do with real poverty! Why is it that not one soul has ever thought of tackling that problem?

There is no way anyone can say any Indian (Marathi or not) cannot move to Mumbai! it just is not possible! And trying to do so is by its very nature unconstitutional! A better expenditure of energy would be to contemplate ways of solving the problems!

^^ and where do you think the people would have moved off too either to another some existing 'legal slums ' or the nearest haven for them mumbai .Problem is they havent solved any thing instead created more mess...

I do know they were sent packing back by the sena cadre through sheer force.

You have no idea how forceful the sena is at a local level when no media is watching.

Even slums have hierarchies. the legal slums will never allow the illegal ones to set up. Cause then their resources like water etc get depleted per person.

Try setting up a slum in established parts of dharavi and the slum dwellers themselves will demolish your slum.

slums are everywhere!! they are more concentrated in Mumbai because it is the financial capital, more opportunities. The slum dwellers, even though they cause the distortion of daily life are the reason why Mumbai is what it is!! they contribute in the form of cheap labour or in the case of dharavi (of what i have heard) with small scale industries! You cant just kick them out without affecting what Mumbai is!

The point is that mumbai's housing problems as far as i can see have more to do with moronic ancient laws governing the real estate sector than to do with real poverty! Why is it that not one soul has ever thought of tackling that problem?

There is no way anyone can say any Indian (Marathi or not) cannot move to Mumbai! it just is not possible! And trying to do so is by its very nature unconstitutional! A better expenditure of energy would be to contemplate ways of solving the problems!

look there comes a point when no amount of solving can do anything. Its like a cricket match.If you start hitting out in the final over you have clearly missed your chance. Mumbai is at that point where it is too late to start thinking about normal solutions.

we already have 7 million people living in the slums. We cant let people set up anymore. Simple as that. We have to atleast try to maintain the rate of slums which is at 60%. As thinks stand they slum rate is rising. According to most forecasts it will reach 70% of the pop in 2020.

Now you can argue from a non practical constitutional view(in which case anti squatting is also a law) or you can look at it from a practical viewpoint.

Shanghai does have checks on migrants as do most Chinese cities.

Either you can let mumbai be overwhelmed with slums or you can maintain a hardline stance.

there are no other options.

If the law says that squatting is illegal then it is illegal.
The problem is that their is no political Will to enforce them. (for everything in India)

Then you have all the NGO's and Bleeding heart liberals who think it is injustice to move people who have clearly broken the law, regardless of economic status. Clearly, they have not looked at the source of the problem.

Programs like NREGA and others are a good start that will benefit Rural Economy, which will reduce the flight to cities. But you can't just wait for NREGA to be successful and not address the city slum issues. Both issues can be handled at the same time.

Moving people forcefully back to their villages is not bad. Sometimes you have to do what's "wrong" to actually make something right in the long run. If not, Dharavi will keep on expanding.

If the law says that squatting is illegal then it is illegal.
The problem is that their is no political Will to enforce them. (for everything in India)

Then you have all the NGO's and Bleeding heart liberals who think it is injustice to move people who have clearly broken the law, regardless of economic status. Clearly, they have not looked at the source of the problem.

Programs like NREGA and others are a good start that will benefit Rural Economy, which will reduce the flight to cities. But you can't just wait for NREGA to be successful and not address the city slum issues. Both issues can be handled at the same time.

Moving people forcefully back to their villages is not bad. Sometimes you have to do what's "wrong" to actually make something right in the long run. If not, Dharavi will keep on expanding.

you have done it again DON

I agree with what you have to say.

People cant say its unconstitutional to ban people from one part of the country and then say , oh lets not enforce the constitution when it comes to squatting. Its like selective choosing of what you want to hear.

You cant build homes for them cause there will be bigger waves to the city as everybody will want free housing. It will just open the floodgates.

Its the same with the bhopal gas tragedy. the fact is a good amount of people had been warned about squatting too near the plant on government land. they still squatted and paid for it with their life. No doubt that Bhopal gas incident the company Union Carbide has to take blame for using the cheapest of parts. But the death toll would have been very low if they would have not squatted on the land which was meant to have been kept clear.

Mumbai too has many places like Saki Naka where the slums are bound to have a high death toll even for from above average heavy rain. Then the people ask the government for compensation despite them very well knowing of the risks involved.

and this is my solution

-lets limit the number of people to mumbai like shanghai. Obviously skilled workers are welcome without restriction. Unskilled workers need to apply for permission with the employers guarantee that they will be given shelter.

-with a control on inflow let the existing slum dwellers get proper housing in the locations which they are currently living with access to water and electricity.

-as a contribution to the rest of rural india. Lets levy a 5% extra tax on people on top of the earning more than 4 lakhs in the city. To invest in rural growth.

We simply have to phase out these slums, and not let them come back. In order to do that, all migrants coming in have to settle in proper housing. I like your plan, but we have to make sure that the skilled workers move into pakka homes.

^^that is what mmrda is planning to do it is developing rental homes but the rentals are little on the steep side ranging from 800-1500 bucks depending on the carpet area of the flat near thane raigad area. the ngos want them to setup rentals at navi mumbai and mumbai and not on the outskirtsof these cities.

and this is my solution

-lets limit the number of people to mumbai like shanghai. Obviously skilled workers are welcome without restriction. Unskilled workers need to apply for permission with the employers guarantee that they will be given shelter.

-with a control on inflow let the existing slum dwellers get proper housing in the locations which they are currently living with access to water and electricity.

-as a contribution to the rest of rural india. Lets levy a 5% extra tax on people on top of the earning more than 4 lakhs in the city. To invest in rural growth.

that will not work. In a developing india it's very hard to restrict entry to anyone.

A zero tolerance policy towards slums is somewhat better, why allow anyone to set up a shanty in the first place. Take it down as soon as it is set up, atleast this would discourage people from freely and casually setting up shanties.

It's much easier to relocate the others when one can rest assured in the knowledge that other slums are not being set up at the same time.

you have to realise the reasons why slums are set up, who helps in setting them up, why some of them are later demolished and rehabilitated, etc and then you will know why bombay has so many slums and why no national party will ever stop the spread of them within bombay

slums indirectly lead to the major chunk of funding for almost every major national level party

^^ it all comes down to politics! The shantis are there because of it and will never go away because of it. Limiting inflow into Mumbai will mean that the babus and politicians will have ample opportunities to hog money from the people and the situation will remain the same! What we need is political action before physical action!

Any update on the project? I keep hearing from friends in Mumbai that slum dwellers are selling their huts to builders for lakhs??

^^Another way to clear the slum.

They're selling slums and setting up new slums elsewhere! Thats not solving any problem, that's just giving prime land in Central Mumbai to greedy developers who don't actually care about the prevalence of slums in other parts of the city.

They could build a better slum :D

It it wasn't in Mumbai it could be a village.

I've heard that Dharavi is quite prosperous for a slum.

It has an economic output of something like $700mn per annum.

That's because it handles the waste disposal for Mumbai.

So - what would happen to Mumbai's waste if Dharavi was redeveloped?

No doubt the actual infrastructure would not be able to cope, as it is.

I've heard that Dharavi is quite prosperous for a slum.

It has an economic output of something like $700mn per annum.

That's because it handles the waste disposal for Mumbai.

So - what would happen to Mumbai's waste if Dharavi was redeveloped?

No doubt the actual infrastructure would not be able to cope, as it is.

yeah but 1.5 million people producing an output of 700 million dollars.

thats like $460 per person and with the cost of living in mumbai. Using purchase parity (or cost of living) of mumbai which is about 2.2 thats like $1000 approx in ppp.

Plus Dharavi is highly polluting.

If Dharavi is redeveloped then we can have office space and lot of affordable housing(vertically)

I wonder when it will be redeveloped, don't see any signs of it as of now.

From the discussion it seems that mumbai can never be completely slum free. And thats true.. its not possible because of our corrupt politicians. What about vertical slums and redevelopment?

Here is what I propose for illegal squatters. For legal slums, matters are more complicated.

1. Govt builds several temporary highrises for illegal slum dwellers, that will be rented to builders on project duration basis.

2. Free the land and move these suckers to these places. They have no choice but to move as the land doesnt belong to htme. Need some political force and consent here..

3. Give the land for redevelopment to the real estate guy. Get a premium out of him for compensation to each of the slum families. The amount will be depending on whether the real estate guy is willing to relocate the original slummies to some highrises in the proect premises OR pay them more to buy back relocation rights. There are some developers who have successfully relocated slummies to highrises present at the reclaimed site. Check youtube.

4. If relocation right is taken back, the concerned slummy is moved to low cost housing projects as initiated by the Govt on the outskirts of city. If not withdrawn, the slummy vacates his rented house and moves to new apartment in few years once the project is finished.

5. The govt temp rented apartments are cleared of all slummies, and basic renovation done at the cost of the builder. The cycle of renting goes to next builder in line.

Well LOT of crazy ideas here.... BUT I cant tolerate Mumbai eaten up by these slummies.. Search most of the albums of foreigners visiting India.. they are full of pics of poverty and slummy... they love to portrait the contrast.

Blow for Dharavi revamp (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai/Blow-for-Dharavi-revamp/Article1-535108.aspx)

The Dharavi revamp plan has suffered yet another setback. American firm, Pacifica Companies, recently pulled out of the project citing indefinite delays in the implementation of the plan.

The company announced that it was terminating the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it had signed with Neptune Developers and the Gujarat-based Sindhu Resettlement Company Limited to bid for this project. The reason — the project has failed to take off.

The move is likely to impact the future of this consortium and the project, which has been plagued by large-scale pullout of bidders.

Neptune Developers, however, said it is still in the race. “Pacifica has pulled out but we are still the bidders,” said Nayan Shah, president (operations), Neptune Developers. “Their exit will not make any difference.”

Pacifica did not respond to phone calls made to its Gujarat office.

Now with the Pacifica pullout there is a real danger of this consortium being disqualified, which leaves only six players, who will bid for five sectors of Dharavi. “This will defeat the purpose of competitive bidding and there is a danger of cartels being formed,” said an official working for the project on condition of anonymity.

The Rs 15,000-crore Dharavi project, conceived in 2004 to convert India’s largest slum into a plush township, has been facing problems from its inception.

Last year, two major hurdles put the entire plan in limbo. First, the municipal corporation’s preliminary report that found 63 per cent of Dharavi’s residents were ineligible for houses under the slum rehabilitation scheme.

Then there was another pullout by developers citing lack of direction.

Its the lack of political will that is delaying this project. If they want to really implement it no one can stop the govt from doing it.

RE Slum Redevelopment/Rehabilitation in general, is there any kind of improvement or slums continuing to mushroom across the city. The slums around Four Seasons Hotel in Worli are a real eyesore and mark out the stark contrasts that are so more visible in Mumbai than elsewhere in India. Any pics of before and after successful slum redevelopment projects?

the vast majority of immigrants into bombay are maharashtrian. time to kick them out

most upper middle n lower middle class immigrants hoarding to bbay are maharashtrian of course... since the late 19th century... but they aren't adding to the slums smart boy... if u 've ever worked for community upliftment in the slums, which i doubt... u wud realized that slum dwellers from states like gujurat, mahrashtra are far too less... most of em are from bangladesh, andhra, tamil nad, up n bihar... n i don't think they contribute to any development of the city... that doesn't mean u address issues on a community basis at all... whoever is illegal shud go... no matter what language he speaks...

even assemblies like on the 6th of December shud be discouraged... every december pple flock into bbay from all states... train travel is free... n then simply refuse to leave... it is really upsetting...

what is 6th of december?ambedkar's anniversary or something? anyways it would be interesting what they are gonna do this time cause shivaji park is off limits this time.

most upper middle n lower middle class immigrants hoarding to bbay are maharashtrian of course... since the late 19th century... but they aren't adding to the slums smart boy... if u 've ever worked for community upliftment in the slums, which i doubt... u wud realized that slum dwellers from states like gujurat, mahrashtra are far too less... most of em are from bangladesh, andhra, tamil nad, up n bihar... n i don't think they contribute to any development of the city... that doesn't mean u address issues on a community basis at all... whoever is illegal shud go... no matter what language he speaks...

The rule should be one for all, pay and stay. There should be no encroachment on public or private land. Government should not encourage rehabilitation to the illegal immigrants.
It's true that these guys are also effecting in the the city economy in directly or indirect way otherwise labour cost would be higher. It's doesn't mean that there would be slum in the middle of the city.

The rule should be one for all, pay and stay. There should be no encroachment on public or private land. Government should not encourage rehabilitation to the illegal immigrants.
It's true that these guys are also effecting in the the city economy in directly or indirect way otherwise labour cost would be higher. It's doesn't mean that there would be slum in the middle of the city.

not just that but even the fact that property prices are inflated bcoz of the dearth of land in Mmbai... n slums mean lesser land available for development... this puts tremendous pressure around the better areas in the city... relocating the slums wud mean a better life for all legal habitants...

I say load them up in trucks and relocate them to the hinterlands of Maharashtra and teach them farming. :) More food, more land. Simple.

If they resist, use deadly force.

^What a brilliant plan :|

n i don't think they contribute to any development of the city....

Go and learn more about Dharavi please.

Go and learn more about Dharavi please.

dharavi is a slum... but all slums aren't dharavi... plz don't only sit n read... go n look at the conditions pple live in... the pollution the dharavi industry has caused... ur electrivity n water cuts are also utilities and supplies stolen by the slum dwellers... agreed that there is a good industry in dharavi... but this industry needn't be in mmbai... moving 'em to somewhere near panvel, they 'll do just as good... the state pays double in maintaining areas around dharavi too... as with the recycling plants, there can be state monitored model of such plants outside the city... i think that was the plan sometime ago... dunno where it is at now...

bottomline i feel is that developing mumbai is not an easy task... certainly not... there are pple who wud always have a different point of view... if u say slums aren't good for the city, there wud always b few who wud refute ur point of view... not even realizing that how it affects a common legal resident... most robberies can be traced bk to the slums too... i dunno if thinking bout the slum population is a humanatarian need... coz slums aren't the answer for livelihood and development... other avenues need to be found out... wat is happening is slum dwellers are getting richer than the legal residents of areas like Pen, or areas outside Panvel... i mean... next thing we know is pple flock into mmbai to get rich... get a slum, get a resettlement... n that is it... from nuthin to a few lakhs... wow... shudn't happen... n pple who support slums shud b driven out too...

also that the due diligence of the redevelopment has already been done... n there is a reason why analysts have suggested a model that they have... after all a doctor knows more bout medicine that you n me... so if they suggest moving dharavi out is the best option, then it is the best option... but of course it won't be accepted... pple won't just stand n leave... hence the rehabilitation which i think shudn't happen either... if there is a resettlement there shud b one outside the city...

^^

The answer to your first sentence is the title of this thread. Secondly, in your first post you said that it doesn't contribute to the city well fyi it generates a billion dollar every year.

source (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSP2904320070611)

yup i get ur point... ok my comment wasn't politically or technically correct... but i meant to talk bout the dentrimental effects of slums... it is certainly better than no slum gdp at all... using that land for a commercial plot may produce a lot more also... n then dharavi may have a billion dollar industry but the over load on the city elements by the residents of dharavi (which exist in overwhelming numbers ~.6 - .8 million, including illegal n not accounted for in the census either) is also a factor that needs to be looked at...

yeah all of this needs to be taken care of, after all we are dealing with the half of mumbai population.

oh please

enough of this generating 1 billion a year crap.

they sit on land which is worth more than $20 billion(and rising fast). Making 1 billion return on that land is pathetic, not to mention the pollution.

Now I realise that people have no where else to go.that would be a humane ground to say ok lets not act harsh. But dont try to justify it economically. Its a total waste of space. 1million people generating 1 billion in economic output means a per capita output generation of $1000 on land where office space would easily generate much much more.


also enough of this cheap labour shit. Most of the labour intensive industries left Mumbai a lot time ago. Bulk of employment which generated the money is in service sector. Rising wages are not going to be an issue at that level.

yeah all of this needs to be taken care of, after all we are dealing with the half of mumbai population.

population of mmbai is at 14 million... n u know the way census is handled in India... also the way pple handle the questionnaire... with illegal immigrants u r looking at around 16+ million pple... of which at least 1.5 - 2 million live in utmost poverty (slums)... not half... but yeah... at least 15% below the pverty line...

oh please

enough of this generating 1 billion a year crap.

they sit on land which is worth more than $20 billion(and rising fast). Making 1 billion return on that land is pathetic, not to mention the pollution.

Now I realise that people have no where else to go.that would be a humane ground to say ok lets not act harsh. But dont try to justify it economically. Its a total waste of space. 1million people generating 1 billion in economic output means a per capita output generation of $1000 on land where office space would easily generate much much more.


also enough of this cheap labour shit. Most of the labour intensive industries left Mumbai a lot time ago. Bulk of employment which generated the money is in service sector. Rising wages are not going to be an issue at that level.

The problem is that how are these people going to earn a living after being presumably relocated into highrise apartments? Dharavi has everything from plastic recycling to leather tanning to meat processing to garbage sorting "industries". Where will all these industries go, and how will Mumbai's garbage be processed in the absence of these slums. Like it or not, Dharavi is a part of the "ecosystem" of Mumbai, and without really smart planning on the part of the redevelopers, it's going to end in disaster.

Wherever they are relocated, have a government factory that does that. It will create income for their families, people will be employed, and the service sector will still be active.

The problem is that how are these people going to earn a living after being presumably relocated into highrise apartments? Dharavi has everything from plastic recycling to leather tanning to meat processing to garbage sorting "industries". Where will all these industries go, and how will Mumbai's garbage be processed in the absence of these slums. Like it or not, Dharavi is a part of the "ecosystem" of Mumbai, and without really smart planning on the part of the redevelopers, it's going to end in disaster.

would want to correct that Dharavi isn't the only waste management system Mmbai relies on... infact the garbage in dharavi is the one collected over by the recycling industries from various bins around the city... or this is simply the stuff sold to garbage brokers by individual homes or businesses... which is later sold to the industries in Mmbai... in short BMC doesn't allot the plastic to Dharavi as such... this can be later inbibed into the WM system of the city... by transporting waste to the new dharavi... wherever it is...

Wherever they are relocated, have a government factory that does that. It will create income for their families, people will be employed, and the service sector will still be active.

Most of the industries in Dharavi will be rejected by a government panel for being "hazardous", "polluting", "financially unviable" etc. etc. The government can never replicate it.

The problem is a complex one which requires complex solutions. Simply demolishing the slum and building cheap highrises will rob these people of their livelihood and make matters worse.

The problem is that how are these people going to earn a living after being presumably relocated into highrise apartments? Dharavi has everything from plastic recycling to leather tanning to meat processing to garbage sorting "industries". Where will all these industries go, and how will Mumbai's garbage be processed in the absence of these slums. Like it or not, Dharavi is a part of the "ecosystem" of Mumbai, and without really smart planning on the part of the redevelopers, it's going to end in disaster.

your right that is the issue.

which is why i was surprised why the refused a relocation to Kalyan with land to ply their trade. Kalyan has strong rail links with CST. They wanted resettlement on the spot.

also a big chunk of Dharavi's pop work as low level labour in the airport. I am not saying expanding the airport will somehow employ everybody. But atleast 10-15% of dharavi pop can be employed.With the office blocks that come up, watchmen , cleaners and other stuff also need people.


Also if you look at slum dynamics, its the first generation labour which is still plying their trade in Dharavi. their children dont work in dharavi and are employed a lot of the times in the proper service industry as a clerk etc etc. That slum has a high literacy rate


things like plastic recycling.(which is technically banned in Mumbai after the 2005 floods) can certainly be moved out of the city. Places like Ulhasnagar in the Dombivali-Kalyan area are much much bigger recyclers of the things you mentioned than the people of Dharavi.Nobody would have an issue if they were on the outskirts of the city. But not on prime land in the middle of the city with strong transport links.

The problem is that how are these people going to earn a living after being presumably relocated into highrise apartments? Dharavi has everything from plastic recycling to leather tanning to meat processing to garbage sorting "industries". Where will all these industries go, and how will Mumbai's garbage be processed in the absence of these slums. Like it or not, Dharavi is a part of the "ecosystem" of Mumbai, and without really smart planning on the part of the redevelopers, it's going to end in disaster.

+1 80% of mumbai's waste is recycled in the slums.

So whats actually going on with this project? Is it really working ahead or just stopped in between??

+1 80% of mumbai's waste is recycled in the slums.

no its not.

no its not.

source (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/04/india.recycling)

source (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/04/india.recycling)

your own source says 80% of plastic waste. Not overall waste. You realise how low plastic waste is in overall waste? The bulk of which is handled in bhandup and Ulhasnagar.

secondly when they mean city they mean Sobo with population 3.2 million not greater mumbai or for that matter MMR with population of 23 million.

and for the record, most of the plastic waste they recycle is illegal anyway as from the floods of 2005 the bulk of the plastic goods and bags and other stuff in Mumbai are illegal.

Mumbai would be better off if they did not recycle this plastic. Could sure as hell stop our nullahs from clogging.


seriously dude read the article and stop sensationalising like the indian media. From some of your responses i sure as hell can tell you dont have a clue about the ground reality.

^^

Mumbai would not be better off if that waste is not recycled.... where would it go? Also, stop suffering from a low self esteem, sensationalising happens all over the world.

^^

Mumbai would not be better off if that waste is not recycled.... where would it go? Also, stop suffering from a low self esteem, sensationalising happens all over the world.


it would goto ulhasnagar which if you would have bothered to find out about its actually cheaper and more efficient are recycling and handles much more waste of all kinds in Mumbai MMR.

low self esteem and not properly reading and article are two different things. As i said read the article which you yourself have posted. Then read about what waste actually is and what is the largest source of waste.


so lay of acting as if your some kind of expert on dharavi.

and for the record.

the bulk of the recycling in Mumbai happens in bhandup or Ulhasnagar

not dharavi.

its just some dumb rumour some NGO has spread and the media has picked up.

dharavi's forte is in manufacturing leather products (and other stuff) which actually adds more pollution to the place as the manufacturing practices are poor on emissions.

del

^^

Low self esteem in the sense of your claim that "indian media" sensationalizes. Secondly,why has the article claimed that mumabi will choke without the recycling happening in dharavi? Also if the Ulhasnagar facility is cheaper then why is the waste not sent there?

In addition I never claimed to be an expert on dharavi. It's your problem if you judge people.

^^

Low self esteem in the sense of your claim that "indian media" sensationalizes. Secondly,why has the article claimed that mumabi will choke without the recycling happening in dharavi? Also if the Ulhasnagar facility is cheaper then why is the waste not sent there?

In addition I never claimed to be an expert on dharavi. It's your problem if you judge people.

Thats not low self esteem. Thats a fact. You want to poll the members of SSCi make a thread in the chaibar and see what their reaction is. Plus this is a foreign media source from a left leaning UK based paper from what i can make out.

Most of mumbai's waste already goes to bhandup and Ulhasnagar. the reason why these people gather the plastic is because they live right at the mouth of the mithi river.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithi_River

in the place which is known as Mahim or greater Mahim. The plastic is collected in the side nullahs of the river and is collected. Waste from everywhere else goes to bhandup and Ulhasnagar. so its location more than waste actually being sent there specially.

and no contrary to the articles claims. Mumbai will not choke is its not recycled. thats just another myth this articles seems to state. The plastic these people recycled is legally banned anyway and its not being properly implemented.

If these people stop recycling the plastic (mostly bags) mumbai will have less clogged drains and they can be properly disposed off as land fill in Bhandup. Cause the plastic even if is recycled, a large % of the recycled plastic finds its way in the drains.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_mumbai-civic-group-leaders-to-discuss-plastic-ban_1329810

^^

Never said it wasn't. All I said that it is not only the indian media does it so no need to say "like Indian media." Coming to if mumbai will choke or not we'll see in the future because it wouldn't really matter if I produce a left leaning, right leaning source as you do't want to accept it. Just to let you know these people don't only recycle bags but countless things which a common man wouldn't have thought could be recycled. Let's end this here. The only valuable thing I found from this discussion is that according to national geographic dharavi is no longer asia's biggest slum. Karachi's orangi township has taken the title.

^^

Never said it wasn't. All I said that it is not only the indian media does it so no need to say "like Indian media." Coming to if mumbai will choke or not we'll see in the future because it wouldn't really matter if I produce a left leaning, right leaning source as you do't want to accept it. Just to let you know these people don't only recycle bags but countless things which a common man wouldn't have thought could be recycled. Let's end this here. The only valuable thing I found from this discussion is that according to national geographic dharavi is no longer asia's biggest slum. Karachi's orangi township has taken the title.

nobody said being left leaning or right leaning was a good or bad thing. But the Guardian is a British left leaning source. thats calling a spade a spade.

nobody denied it was not a big slum. Cause its a fact.

and no they dont recycle countless other things. The manufacture much more than they recycle from raw materials.This is just like the claim you made that 80% of mumbai's waste is recycled in Dharavi which is just plain wrong and was proven so right in this thread.

so you did learn from this discussion that Dharavi does not recycle most of Mumbai's waste. Just the plastic waste which is banned by law anyway.(even i doub that cause bhandup is much bigger efficient recycling plant) You also learnt that Bhandup and Ulhasnagar are the largest sources of recycling in Mumbai and that sewage is the largest type of waste a city can produce.

This comes from a long line of posts from you some how justifying its exicstance with quite frankly dumb and uninformed posts.

So please learn about the slum and dont come out with vague ass statements like "they recycle countless other sutff".

no they dont. they are a low level pollution manufacturing centre mostly making leather products.


also what happens to the bulk of mumbai's solid waste? its recycled by dumping it in pit to level the land in order to build apartments on it. Look up a project called Hari Om nagar which was the first of its kind in Mumbai.

Mumbai will be mapped & tracked (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-will-be-mapped-tracked/articleshow/6160990.cms)

copyright: TOI

MUMBAI: Sting may have famously penned the song 'Every breath you take, every move you make...I'll be watching you' in the 1980s, but it's Mumbai's town planners who are humming the tune now.

With the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully placing five satellites, including CARTOSAT-2B, in the earth's orbit on Monday morning, the metropolis got an eye in the sky that will monitor each and every movement. "Now that the satellite is up and running, tracking every movement—be it vehicular or pedestrian—has become cheaper and more credible," a senior Mantralaya bureaucrat told TOI. "Satellite images will help town planners understand the movement of traffic better. This will make it easier for agencies to plan infrastructure projects that best serve this metropolis' needs," the official added.

What's more, the satellite will also keep an eye on the city's green cover and mangrove land. "Every inch of mangrove land across the state's 720-km coast will be monitored," said the official. This means that the reckless hacking of tress and mangroves will soon be a thing of past. Any change in the city's green asset will be picked up by the satellite.

The images captured by the satellite will be transmitted to the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad, which, in turn, will forward them to the state administration.

Also, the satellite will put an end to the rein of encroachers. The satellite will map all the dwellings in the metropolis to the last detail. All this, said technocrats, will come in handy while planning projects, such as rail networks, roads and bridges, in a more efficient manner.

ISRO's decision to launch more advanced satellites in the near future will prove to be a shot in the arm for underground utilities. "The satellites will provide the agencies with high-resolution images, which will be of great help in repairing underground utilities."

P R K Murthy, chief of transportation and communication division of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said that transportation projects can now be designed and planned to perfection. "Cartosat-2B will track the movement of each and every vehicle and will give us an accurate idea of the city's traffic needs," Murthy said.

Experts with the state's remote sensing centre said that the newly-launched satellite will reduce the huge expenditure by the state government on procuring satellite images and mapping technology (also known as differential global positioning system) from foreign agencies.

"An image by Cartosat-2B will cost approximately Rs 250 per sq km as against $ 42 (Rs 2,100) per sq km charged by American satellites such as the Quick Bird. The PAN camera fitted in the satellite offers .93 cm resolution, which means that even a small object on the street would be visible," said Vinod Bothale, director of Maharashtra Remote Sensing and Application Centre. "With Cartosat-2B, planning for projects will be affordable," he added. Currently, Mumbai is implementing a slew of infrastructure projects worth Rs 30,000 crore.

Tech boost for Metro

The MMRDA recently gave Reliance Infra, which is carrying out the phase II work for Metro, its consent to rope in Fugro from the Netherlands to implement the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) for the rail project.

This is the first time that such an advanced technology is being used for the Metro project. Fugro will help RInfra co-ordinate and map the entire 32-km stretch between Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd, using nine satellites.

^
wrong thread dude.

Firstly, I read my post again will you. Where have I said that people have denied that dharavi is not a big slum? the point is not if it is right leaning or left leaning. The point is that you won't accept the facts written in it because they go against your view. Your view that it is left leaning doesn't matter because if the article was from bbc you would say oh the west loves to romanticise poverty. If it was from an environmental agency then you would say it was bias. So, that's why I said that it wouldn't matter if i post article form another source because to you there will always be a fault.

Yes I did learn that dharavi recycles 80% of the dry waste :) you keep on saying that it is banned by the law but fail to realise that I know that the law is not working. Also I am not here to justify its existence. Most of the dumb posts have been made by those fourmers who want to remove the slum without a proper plan or research. comments like "loading them into trucks and sending them into maharashtra's villages"

You cannot remove dharavi just like that. Like it or not removal of dharavi will have a negative impact on mumbai if the removal is not thought after. Like marathaman said where will the jobs come from? another slum? It is very easy to make remarks like "move dharavi" or "send them back to their states" while sitting in front of your computer but noone realises that it's a large million plus population they're dealing with.

They recycle old cars, copper from wires, plastic bottles and countless other stuff and not just bags.

Firstly, I read my post again will you. Where have I said that people have denied that dharavi is not a big slum? the point is not if it is right leaning or left leaning. The point is that you won't accept the facts written in it because they go against your view. Your view that it is left leaning doesn't matter because if the article was from bbc you would say oh the west loves to romanticise poverty. If it was from an environmental agency then you would say it was bias. So, that's why I said that it wouldn't matter if i post article form another source because to you there will always be a fault.

Yes I did learn that dharavi recycles 80% of the dry waste :) you keep on saying that it is banned by the law but fail to realise that I know that the law is not working. Also I am not here to justify its existence. Most of the dumb posts have been made by those fourmers who want to remove the slum without a proper plan or research. comments like "loading them into trucks and sending them into maharashtra's villages"

You cannot remove dharavi just like that. Like it or not removal of dharavi will have a negative impact on mumbai if the removal is not thought after. Like marathaman said where will the jobs come from? another slum? It is very easy to make remarks like "move dharavi" or "send them back to their states" while sitting in front of your computer but noone realises that it's a large million plus population they're dealing with.

They recycle old cars, copper from wires, plastic bottles and countless other stuff and not just bags.

facts written

you were the person who said it recycled 80% of Mumbai's waste. (and no they dont recycle 80% of dry waste again your making things up. Plastic does not even form the tip of the iceburg for dry waste and neither does reclaimed metal)

So who is the one misreading the facts?

you yourself were proven wrong. yes or no?

stop that "you dont like whats written" to cover up that fact that you are basically quoting something which is not true,


and the countless stuff really they dont do in big numbers.Hell re read what your own posted guardian article states.

they really dont recycle that much and i stick to that.

based on your logic dharavi should never be cleared cause they make a positive contribution. No they really dont. All that they do is slowly actually being shifted to cheaper places in inland maharashtra. so even dharavi is being undercut in labour just like the textile mills before tham.

Bhains ke aage been bajane wali baat ho gayi... anyway here you go read this.

http://globalurbanist.com/2010/07/06/the-problems-facing-mumbais-trash-economy.aspx

from the article:
According to the last estimates of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), the body responsible for solid waste management (SWM), the city produces 6,500 tons of garbage every day. To give some perspective, that's 13 million pounds--roughly equivalent to 17 fully loaded Airbus A380s, the largest passenger aircraft in existence, piling up every day. Given that the city's population is constantly expanding, along with its consumptive middle class, this number is poised to grow further.

And while the budget of the SWM department of the MCGM has swelled considerably in response, rising by nearly 50% between 2007-08 and 2010-11, a glance at the streets of Mumbai reveals the government's failure to manage the daily flood of litter in the city. This shortcoming has given rise to an expansive underground recycling economy.

Ragpickers, as informal trash collectors are known in India, work in unsanitary conditions to collect, sort and then sell recyclable materials from around the city. It is estimated that as much as 80% of the city's dry waste is recycled in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum, alone. Arguably, the city would not function without the service that these ragpickers provide.

Now think what you like. You are welcome to keep your views but I don't think this debate is going to lead anywhere so I am out of this.

Most of the industries in Dharavi will be rejected by a government panel for being "hazardous", "polluting", "financially unviable" etc. etc. The government can never replicate it.

The problem is a complex one which requires complex solutions. Simply demolishing the slum and building cheap highrises will rob these people of their livelihood and make matters worse.

That problem will definitely stay and the government will need a permanent solution for them to have an income permanently and make the slums go away.

On the other hand, if the developers clear the slums and build highrises, presumably these slum dwellers will relocate to the outskirts of the city where they can run their polluting industries and give out their flats on rent or just sell them off. This is one way of "solving" the problem.

Bhains ke aage been bajane wali baat ho gayi... anyway here you go read this.

http://globalurbanist.com/2010/07/06/the-problems-facing-mumbais-trash-economy.aspx (http://globalurbanist.com/2010/07/06/t
he-problems-facing-mumbais-trash-economy.aspx)

from the article:


Now think what you like. You are welcome to keep your views but I don't think this debate is going to lead anywhere so I am out of this.

oh please


this is what your article states at the bottom.
This article originally appeared in slightly amended form on Beyond Profit, reprinted with permission.

your article has been reprinted with permission from a glorified blog spot

http://beyondprofit.com/?p=1690

which cites no source what so ever at the bottom.

Give me credible links if you want to debate. Otherwise dont bother commenting.


this is a real source. which as i Mumbai, April 27:

Over 13 international bidders from countries like Germany, Austria, Kuwait, Singapore,Thailand and others have lined up in the race for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Solid Waste Management (SWM) tenders which have initiated a private-public partnership framework for implementing their integrated waste management plans.

These contracts aim at extending the life of the present waste disposal sites at Deonar and Mulund by partial closure, developing new state-of-art sanitary land fill site at Kanjurmarg along with awarding contracts for large scale processing of waste with the help of modern technologies.


The total investment required for the same is Rs 319 crore apart from the tipping fee of Rs 32 crore, for which the BMC has already submitted a proposal for JNNURM funding.

“Mumbai will be producing solid waste of 10,500 metric tones per day by 2030 and we needed a comprehensive solution of scientific landfill management that had been given to us after a detailed study by IL&FS,” said RA Rajeev while addressing a press conference at the BMC headquarters on Friday.

As per the detailed study, BMC’s present dumping sites and proposed landfill sites went through a technology evaluation and composting. Also, bio-methanation and refuse derived fuel for special waste were shortlisted for the Mumbai sites. At the Gorai dumping ground, it was the first time that the BMC initiated a process wherein the closure of the site was done through capping process unlike the Malad mindscape which was closed without treating the garbage.

In case of the existing dumpsites at Deonar and Mulund, the BMC is in the process of creating space for future operations through a scientific part closure. This process includes dividing the dumping grounds into separate cells, installing air blowing units at the sites, shifting of the existing waste, getting it stabilised and then redeveloping the cells.

“By doing this we are processing the existing waste and increasing the dumping capacity while making sure it is environmentally safe,” said Rajeev. The Kanjurmarg dumping site which is 85 hectares in size, will be able to take care of 4500 tones of garbage everyday since it will have composting and scientific land filling right from the beginning.

Rajeev is also confident of getting total returns of investments through Carbon Credits, which the Gorai site will bring in, along with the methane wells that are going to be erected on the site.

“We have international companies approaching us for credits having a prevailing market rate of Certified Emission Reductions (CER’s) at $20 and Verified Emissions Reductions (VER’s) at $10 which can help us get our capital funds. Also, companies like Tata Power have approached us to buy the Methane emitted through the sites which will be used to produce energy,” he added.said, the solid waste is recycled basically as land fill

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=233803


based on the above article. How the hell can 80% of the solid waste be recycled in Dharavi? if the dumping sites are in Deonar and Mulund?

That just points to Bhandup (neighbouring Mulund) and not Dharavi


so maybe next time check the source of your bhains before commenting no? :D

anybody can print crap in blogs. Hell even i can write one.

but ground truth is very different Mr ashwa... i don't think u r a resident of Mmbai... that doesn't mean u aren't talking sense either... but i think u figures are a lil messed up... car recycling is not the word... they knock a car down to the seats and parts n sell the individual parts... but again not all cars go there... it's only the ones that the garbage brokers buy or find... lesser that wat u think... similarly all the other recycling plants are far too less... the only bulk that goes there is plastic... which isn't a state of the art process... the recycling comes at the cost of rape of the mithi river... which is substantially spread out over central mumbai n suburbs... we don't need a recycling plant at the cost of whatever it consumes now... surely it has been glorified bcoz westeners are amazed at how economically pple recycle plastic wastes... that too in slums... but it is it the best way is the question? get them out of the city n let them do wat they want to do... altho there shud b laws there as well... we need no dharavi... if we need the pple who live there... for the industries... the pple n the industries shud b legal first... n moved to outskirts of the city...

but ground truth is very different Mr ashwa... i don't think u r a resident of Mmbai... that doesn't mean u aren't talking sense either... but i think u figures are a lil messed up... car recycling is not the word... they knock a car down to the seats and parts n sell the individual parts... but again not all cars go there... it's only the ones that the garbage brokers buy or find... lesser that wat u think... similarly all the other recycling plants are far too less... the only bulk that goes there is plastic... which isn't a state of the art process... the recycling comes at the cost of rape of the mithi river... which is substantially spread out over central mumbai n suburbs... we don't need a recycling plant at the cost of whatever it consumes now... surely it has been glorified bcoz westeners are amazed at how economically pple recycle plastic wastes... that too in slums... but it is it the best way is the question? get them out of the city n let them do wat they want to do... altho there shud b laws there as well... we need no dharavi... if we need the pple who live there... for the industries... the pple n the industries shud b legal first... n moved to outskirts of the city...


as I said in this thread.

recycling of the city has moved out to ulhasnagar a long time ago.

Has anybody actually been to Bhandup? they are filling tracks of land to level it with rubbish.

On the other hand, if the developers clear the slums and build highrises, presumably these slum dwellers will relocate to the outskirts of the city where they can run their polluting industries and give out their flats on rent or just sell them off. This is one way of "solving" the problem.

But in future, if the city is in the process of development on the outskirts, then these problems will arise again.

Smith + Gill's master plan for Dharavi (competition/conceptual?)

The new master plan for the region of Mumbai known as Dharavi is dependent on symbiotic relationships. Relationships between the commercial sector and the residential sector - sharing infrastructure, architectural design solutions, social/economic relationships.

Dharavi’s rich cultural heritage as well as its robust economy are a direct result of its critical concentration of unique communities. The primary goal of redeveloping the tenement fabric of Dharavi is to reinforce these strong communal relationships through creative and efficient architectural solutions. A sensitive reimagination of tenement housing will result in an enhanced community, one whose infrastructural needs are satisfied and whose communal relationships are reinforced and celebrated. Although the redevelopment of Dharavi necessarily requires an architectural solution, the potential impacts of this redevelopment go far beyond the simple shelter these buildings will provide. For both tenement and commercial buildings, the architecture has been cast as an active participant in the long term economic and ecological health and prosperity of the site.

In addition to providing housing, the tenement architecture will filter stormwater, generate food, and create community space via an extensive network of interconnected rooftop gardens. These buildings will enable groups of families to reside in close proximity to one another, thus supporting existing economic, social, religious and political relationships within Dharavi’s resident population.

In addition to providing market rate office and retail space, commercial buildings will actively work to generate clean power and will be responsively shaped to maximise the effectiveness of natural ventilation strategies throughout the site.

The massing of the commercial building sectors has been tuned to direct cool winds through neighboring residential sectors while preventing strong gusts via integral wind turbine systems that serve to generate power for the offices.

Residential buildings are designed to incorporate water harvesting green roofs that dually serve as urban farms, generating additional revenue and providing visual amenity for the development. Hidden from view is a complex distributed waste-to-power system which provides a substantial portion of the district’s power and an enhanced aquifer recharge system.
These buildings will be designed to reinforce strategic relationships, both visually and physically, to adjacent commercial and tenement buildings. Furthermore, each building type will respond specifically to its use, maximizing internal efficiencies in order to provide rich and humane environments for people to live and work.

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4633/dhar1.png
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4857/dhar2.png
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/8783/dhar3.png
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3791/dh1ze.jpg
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/111/dhar7.png
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8250/dh2d.jpg
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1946/dh3i.jpg

Smith + Gill's master plan for Dharavi (competition/conceptual?)

Purely conceptual just like what HOK had proposed a while back. Their approach was more friendly to the residents and focussed on keeping the economic activity and cultural framework intact.

Dharavi Evolution- A sustainable, planning-led approach as an alternative to the current redevelopment process of Dharavi, Mumbai
May 2008
Link: http://dharavievolution.typepad.com/files/hok_dharavi_book-final-lowres-1.pdf

Give me another 40 years and I will come up with a more better and the most ultra modern design, Lol.

this will never happen. not in a planned manner anyways

oh yeah like this is going to be well maintained once done....

why are those shop names in a south indian language?!!

dharavi used to be pre-dominantly made up of tamils

dharavi used to be pre-dominantly made up of tamils

But that is Kannada script and it reads "Reliance Fresh". I guess they just randomly did it

Purely conceptual just like what HOK had proposed a while back. Their approach was more friendly to the residents and focussed on keeping the economic activity and cultural framework intact.

Dharavi Evolution- A sustainable, planning-led approach as an alternative to the current redevelopment process of Dharavi, Mumbai
May 2008
Link: http://dharavievolution.typepad.com/files/hok_dharavi_book-final-lowres-1.pdf

The redevelopment plan was actually the work of a consortium of three firms, with the master plan concept by Chicago Consultants Studio, Inc.

see Smith Gill's website, under Project Team:
http://www.smithgill.com/#/work/mumbai_mp

CCS is a planning studio of several urban designers who ran SOM's planning studio in Chicago in the 80's-early 90's.

oh yeah like this is going to be well maintained once done....

Oh come on, a district like that depicted in the renderings needn't fall into disrepair.

Why is nobody building affordable mass housing in Mumbai? Is it because of rent control laws?

yes. and a useless judiciary. if you want your flat back from a squatter be ready to fight it out in courts for around 15-30 years

in india possession is not 9/10ths the law. its the law

Dharavi could get 1st medical college post Independence

Amid party politics, the state government has nearly narrowed down on a location for the long proposed first medical college to be started in Mumbai since Independence — Dharavi, known as the largest slum in Asia. The entire slum colony in central Mumbai is being redeveloped and it can now include a new medical college, which not just offers higher medical education but tertiary healthcare as well.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had, at a meeting of Slum Rehabilitation Authority in Bandra earlier this week, announced plans to start the college in the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

“There has been a discussion about the medical college and it has mostly been decided to start the college in Dharavi as part of the redevelopment plan. In case, we want to start the college immediately, then we can start it by clubbing the facilities at GT, St George and Cama hospitals,” said NCP leader and Minister for Medical Education Dr Vijaykumar Gavit. “We have sufficient infrastructure and beds as per MCI requirements to start a medical college at GT Hospital; that can be done on an immediate basis.”
These three hospitals are now part of the JJ Group of Hospitals and attached to Grant Medical College. However, with this hospital group located in south Mumbai, political leaders have been demanding the medical college in the burgeoning suburbs.

The plans to convert the Vile Parle-based RN Cooper Hospital into a medical college have not gathered much support in the government with many not wanting the Shiv Sena-BJP, which rules the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, to take credit for starting the medical college. The BMC already has three large medical colleges under its purview besides 19 hospitals across the city.


Mantralaya sources said the Congress leaders had, during a discussion on budget allocation for new medical colleges in Raigad and Gondia, demanded that a medical college should be approved for a Congress-dominated area as well since both these regions were dominated by the NCP.

“There has been a huge demand for a medical college in Mumbai. When I was the medical education minister two years ago, there was a proposal for a medical college by splitting the JJ Hospital, but that was never sent to the Union Government for approval. Now again, the thought is that there should be a medical college in the suburbs. Officials from the department have been asked to look for locations, maybe in Dharavi, Andheri, Oshiwara areas,” said Congress leader and Minister for Public Health Suresh Shetty.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dharavi-could-get-1st-medical-college-post-independence/674276/2

Dharavi could get this, Dharavi could get that.... Leaders are getting money, leaders are getting money.... People are getting fooled, people are getting mocked at...

The first post in this thread was made more than 2 years ago. I wonder is anything has moved since then as I have only followed the thread intermittently.

I'm otherwise very optimistic for India in the coming decade but have a bad feeling that even my grandsons will see there slums when flying in and out of Bombay simply because of the unending political patronage.

^^agreed, i've been hearing about the dharavi slums makeover for almost 4 years but nothing has been done.

The first post in this thread was made more than 2 years ago. I wonder is anything has moved since then as I have only followed the thread intermittently.

I'm otherwise very optimistic for India in the coming decade but have a bad feeling that even my grandsons will see there slums when flying in and out of Bombay simply because of the unending political patronage.

Your grandsons will surely see the slums because the of politics in Maharashtra between the Sena and the MNS, the Congress, NCP, and the BJP, the dirty vote bank politics, and so on, the same old game is still in existence and I am afraid to say but we are in even more sorry state.

People are more concerned about seeing the slums, and more than that, of white people seeing them :lol:

If only the slums were underground someplace, out of sight. Ah. Then we could all forget about them :D

Slum rehab projects may get 2.5 FSI soon

PUNE: Like the slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai, the project in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad may also get 2.5 FSI (floor space index), chief minister Ashok Chavan said here on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Rajiv Gandhi housing complex at Kashiwadi, Chavan stressed that with the additional FSI, people should get small houses at affordable prices. At the function, Chavan handed over the ownership papers of the tenements to the people whose houses had been destroyed in a major fire in March 2005 in the Kashiwadi slum area in Bhavani Peth. Chavan appreciated the initiative taken by state minister for home Ramesh Bagwe for completing the housing complex despite several administrative and other social hurdles.

"I had received representations from various leaders saying that just as the government has sanctioned 2.5 FSI for slum rehabilitation schemes in Mumbai, the same should be made applicable for Pune city. The government will soon issue orders to this effect for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. With this additional FSI, I don't expect to see tall buildings. The buildings should have maximum number of small houses which should be available at affordable rates to the common people," Chavan said.

He observed that buying houses in the city has become highly unaffordable and this is the reason why there is proliferation of slums. The government, he said, is taking up an elaborate programme for rehabilitation of slums. In rural areas too, people below poverty line would be able to get houses at very low prices. The government, he said, will be building ten lakh low-cost houses in rural areas.

Explaining the significance of the launch of the Unique Identification Number from Maharashtra, Chavan said the state will soon revamp the welfare schemes for the poor so that they get maximum benefits without any hassles.

Others who spoke on the occasion included state minister for marketing and co-operation Harhavardhan Patil, Congress secretary Pravin Rashtrapal, and Avinash Bagwe. Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi made a surprise appearance at the programme.

Read more: Slum rehab projects may get 2.5 FSI soon - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Slum-rehab-projects-may-get-25-FSI-soon/articleshow/6667641.cms#ixzz11AaZKrIQ

This thread is for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, not other slums.

Dharavi makeover in limbo as CM stays indecisive

Local Congress leader Hukamraj Mehta shoots a letter to Ashok Chavan stating that six years of delay in the redevelopment has severely
compromised their support base in the area

Thirteen years after it was first floated, six years after it was approved by the State Government, and three years after global bids were invited, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) has still made no headway.

The last development came six months ago, when a government appointed four-member committee submitted a proposal to the chief secretary suggesting changing of a few bid conditions after hearing out various stake holders.

The long wait has meant that the number of interested bidders has dropped from 19 (who were shortlisted) to seven in the last two years to bid for the five sectors that Dharavi has been divided into for the project.

As for the slumdwellers - who number around 90,000 - they are tired of living in a state of uncertainty since 2004.

Due to the delay, there is rising dissent even among local Congress leaders who feel their support base in Dharavi is eroding.

South Central district president Hukamraj Mehta of the Congress has recently written to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan saying the people of Dharavi have lost patience.

“You had assured the government will complete the remaining procedures (of DRP) within 30 days in the meeting on June 16, 2010… The government has kept on delaying the project for some reason or the other.

The long wait has meant that the number of bidders intrested in Dharavi redevelopment project has dropped from 19 to seven

Our party workers had to keep pacifying our constituents again and again… We are finding it increasingly difficult to face them,” he wrote.

“Most structures are in dire need of repair. But they are not willing to pump the money right now as it will be a waste if redevelopment happens. If a house collapses who will be responsible?” Mehta told Mirror, adding that he has not received a reply from the CM’s office yet.

Interestingly, the Dharavi Bachao Samiti which was vehemently opposed to the way the Dharavi Redevelopment Project was proceeding, also seems to agree now.

“The government should at least clarify whether they are going ahead or not, because the condition of structures is deteriorating.

We weren’t opposed to the project, but wanted greater transparency. People should at least be allowed to go for the regular Slum Rehabilitation Scheme,” said Raju Korde, president of the Samiti.

The local MLA, MP and five out of six corporators in South Central Mumbai under which Dharavi falls, are from the Congress.

Senior Congressman and MP of the area Eknath Gaikwad said, “I know that the opposition has been playing its politics over the issue which is adversely affecting our local corporators. I am going to raise this issue in the meeting that all state MPs have with the CM on October 26, and ask for speedy execution of the project.”

source (http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/2010102220101022015941712cc664adc/Dharavi-makeover-in-limbo-as-CM-stays-indecisive.html)

^^ Chavan should be called Chaman! Dharavi redevelopment will free up hundreds of acres and hopefully bring down the SLUMDOG label thats now being genericized to ALL indians(Youtube anti-india haters have got a new vocab using slumdog)!!! Im really beginning to HATE that movie-but it did bring out the truth!! Mumbai is infact Slumbhai-and politics isn't making it any easier to get rid of this suffocating label!

This thread is a big joke. I really appreciate the optimism of IU but I don't see this project going anywhere for the next few years if not decades. 55% of Mumbai lives in slums and that is exactly equal to 55% of votes. No political party will evict these people and go against their wishes. I would really like to see this project starting but the slumdwellers will oppose it and live like the way they live now forever. Six Sigma, I would not worry much about people calling all Indians Slumdogs. Most of those who call us that are trolls mostly from Pakistan and they live in conditions worse than the ones in Dharavi.

This thread is a big joke. I really appreciate the optimism of IU but I don't see this project going anywhere for the next few years if not decades. 55% of Mumbai lives in slums and that is exactly equal to 55% of votes. No political party will evict these people and go against their wishes. I would really like to see this project starting but the slumdwellers will oppose it and live like the way they live now forever. Six Sigma, I would not worry much about people calling all Indians Slumdogs. Most of those who call us that are trolls mostly from Pakistan and they live in conditions worse than the ones in Dharavi.

Golibar redevelopment has begun - 140 acres
CSIA slums will be gone in 3 years - 250 acres (?)
minor pockets all across mumbai are being picked up and redeveloped
dharavi is a stumper..but even if it takes 10 years..im glad its been started..instead of letting the city rot-as it was for 50 yearslll

Peace! :)

Golibar redevelopment has begun - 140 acres
CSIA slums will be gone in 3 years - 250 acres (?)
minor pockets all across mumbai are being picked up and redeveloped
dharavi is a stumper..but even if it takes 10 years..im glad its been started..instead of letting the city rot-as it was for 50 yearslll

Peace! :)


Thanks for the updates on the other projects. Do the residents of Dharavi have ownership of the land or have they just encroached and lived on Government land for several years?

Golibar redevelopment has begun - 140 acres
CSIA slums will be gone in 3 years - 250 acres (?)
minor pockets all across mumbai are being picked up and redeveloped
dharavi is a stumper..but even if it takes 10 years..im glad its been started..instead of letting the city rot-as it was for 50 yearslll

Peace! :)

+1:)

Thanks for the updates on the other projects. Do the residents of Dharavi have ownership of the land or have they just encroached and lived on Government land for several years?

Tell me which slum in India owns the land. All the slums are illegal. Govt makes them Legal for slums before so and so year. Currently all slums in Mumbai that came up before 2000 are legal and they cannot be removed until the people in them are rehabilitated

it is all vote bank politics... give us vote, and we shall regularize your home... so illegal bcame legal... then sold flats and again bcame illegal... again legal... few filths are sitting on more than five 220 sq ft apartments... some disgusting pple have also invested in jhopdis... only to eventually be alloted flats... coz this pre-2000, post-2000 thing can be relaxed with money... corruption... Mumbai will never be rid of slums... never...

You-tube anti-India haters???? Who are these people??

Its a huge shame about the development so far but im optomistic.

The development can change the face of the city.

State agency to develop Dharavi under CM's plan
Sanjay Jog / Mumbai January 10, 2011, 0:08 IST

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan plans to overhaul the Rs 15,000-crore Dharavi redevelopment project. Chavan — who has already flagged what he called an “unholy nexus” among builders, politicians and middlemen in the wake of the Adarsh housing society scam — now wants state-run Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority (Mhada) to carry out the big-ticket project.

That will come as a huge disappointment to a select group of builders and developers, who were to carry out redevelopment of the 535-acre slum with a population of over half a million. Their selection, however, has been mired in controversy and allegations of favouritism.

During the earlier bidding process, only seven out of 14 shortlisted builders and developers were found eligible. The state government also revised its policy to provide a floor space index of 4 to make the redevelopment project financially viable.
Under the chief minister’s plan, Mhada, as a nodal agency, will rope in contractors and developers through open competitive bidding. Chavan preferred not to divulge further details, but reiterated his government’s determination to bring transparency to Mumbai’s realty sector.

A senior Congress minister, who did not wish to be named, told Business Standard: “The chief minister is of the view that the tender conditions were at times prepared to favour a few builders and developers. The bidding process carried out earlier for the Dharavi project lacked transparency and several objections were raised by NGOs, experts and some builders and contractors.”
The Dharavi project, which was to commence by 2009, has proved a non-starter. The Congress-led state government has so far been unable to bring about a consensus on how the project should be carried out.

Under a 2005 resolution to convert Dharavi into a modern township, the area was to be divided into five sectors with residential and commercial development. However, following widespread criticism, an expert panel was set up to review the plan. In its report, submitted in 2010, the panel suggested carving up the area into 32 sectors instead of five to accommodate the needs of various sections.

Slum-dwellers were promised a new 300-sq ft flat in Dharavi free of cost, while business owners were assured 250 sq ft on condition they would pay for the additional space.

Sunil Mantri, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, said: “The Dharavi redevelopment is a very old issue and has been pending for a decade. So far, the scheme has not taken shape due to various issues such as the bidding process, the cut-off date for eligibility and other local factors. We expect the new chief minister to take a holistic approach on the entire redevelopment scheme and ensure that within a year, it takes off in a transparent manner.”

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/state-agency-to-develop-dharavi-under-cm/s-plan/421310/

^^:lol: Its funny when sunil mantri talks about govt being transparent in their dealings.I hope he takes his own advice and ask the builder lobby to bring abt transparency in their own dealings.

CM Prithviraj Chavan should take a strong decition to push the Dharavi Project and personally need to follow it , till the completion , at least it needed to followup from him till he is in CM , Then only this project can be a reality otherwise its Just a political failure.
If CM personally not willing to follow this project , its perfect to scrab this project. Dharavi can be rebuild using the normal SRA schemes which will take 5-10 years for 90% redevelopment, Altough it will be of scattered building look but you can rid of Chawl systems of slum.
If the CM doesnot take any stron stand , then the politicians has to face this people during Electino, I can strongly say People dump this congress policitician in to the Sit.

^^:lol: Its funny when sunil mantri talks about govt being transparent in their dealings.I hope he takes his own advice and ask the builder lobby to bring abt transparency in their own dealings.

If the GOVERNMENT takes up SRA - you'll trade one evil for another!! A horizontal slum GONE!! A vertical slum in its place!!!

CM push for Dharavi makeover
MUMBAI: Chief minister Prithivraj Chavan wants to put the Rs 15,000-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) on track. The CM on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) to work out its financial economics if the state housing board is to be given the mandate to redevelop one of the five sectors in which Dharavi is divided.

Mhada may be given Sector 5 to redevelop as a pilot project. Spread across 62 hectares (about 150 acres), Sector 5 is located on the side facing the financial district of Bandra-Kurla Complex. Mhada is to submit its report by Friday, before a January 30 meeting on Dharavi. The report has to stipulate the number of slum dwellers who must be rehabilitated, additional area, affordable housing and revenue generated from the sale component, among others.

Chavan gave the direction at a meeting of secretaries where he was appraised of the status of DRP for the first time since he took over at the helm. The CM's decision is also in line with Mhada's proposal to redevelop Sector 5, which was later accepted by a high-powered committee of secretaries set up under the chief secretary. The committee had recommended giving one sector to Mhada for development and calling phase-wise bids for the other four sectors.

No decision, though, was taken as to when or whether bids would be called from private developers to develop the remaining sectors.

Chavan's move to have the government play a proactive role in DRP has not gone down well in his own party. Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad said he was not in favour of Mhada constructing the buildings. "Their construction is so poor. In fact, Mhada is planning to demolish buildings they had constructed some 10 years ago. Housing secretary Gautam Chatterjee as Mhada VP had told me that Mhada would rope in private contractors such as Larsen and Toubro to carry out the work. If private companies are to be asked to construct, then why is the government not calling in bids to develop the entire Dharavi,'' asked Gaikwad.


SourcE : Link (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/CM-push-for-Dharavi-makeover/articleshow/7363715.cms)

:|

Sena backs Dharavi locals before polls

MUMBAI: With civic elections round the corner, revival of the Rs 15,000-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan seems to have given an impetus to power play among political parties.

The Shiv Sena has sought to assume leadership of a crusade that would mostly benefit migrant workers by reiterating their demand for 400-square-foot flats for slumdwellers under the DRP.

According to initial estimates submitted to the state government, when the Rs 15,000-crore DRP was drawn up, Dharavi is home to more than 1,00,000 families, less than 35% of whom are Maharashtrian, "There is no Marathi manoos issue here," said former Sena MLA Baburao Mane, amongst the loudest dissenters of the project as currently designed. "We are seeking justice for the poor of Dharavi. We are burying all our differences of region and community."

On Febuary 2, over a lakh attended a rally addressed by former chief minister Manohar Joshi. Their demands include 400-square-foot homes to all Dharavi's residents instead of 225 sq ft, right to "self-redevelopment" for Kumbharwada and Koliwada, and industrial galas for home industries.

A majority of those residing in Dharavi are originally from states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who predominantly work in leather goods, tailoring, pottery and zari embroidery industries.

"If we had to be thinking about elections, the unity we have forged among various parties would vanish," says Mane.

But he admits that it is a strong anti-Congress plank for the Opposition. Still, the Congress retained four of the six corporator seats within the slum in the municipal elections of February 2007.

Shiv Sena, the original designer of the state's slum rehabilitation scheme, has been stoking protests against the project for over three years now.

Nowhere is the power play more visible than in the local Congress unit. Even as the Congress leadership led by member of Parliament Eknath Gaikwad is struggling to retain its traditional stronghold amidst rising dissent against the state government's changing stand on DRP, Gaikwad is opposed by Ajit Sawant, general secretary and spokesperson for the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC).


Read more: Sena backs Dharavi locals before polls - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sena-backs-Dharavi-locals-before-polls/articleshow/7480080.cms#ixzz1ER1Nh1A0

Mhada to get Dharavi Sector 5

MUMBAI: Dharavi, Asia's second largest slum colony, seems to have got on the fast-track of redevelopment.

At a meeting of secretaries chaired by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday, the government seemed to be inching in favour of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) redeveloping Sector 5 in Sion. Financial bids will be called after a few months from five short-listed private developers to redevelop the other four sectors.

The government cleared another major hurdle by accepting, in principle, a plan to legalize tenancy rights of slum-dwellers occupying hutments post the January 1, 2000 cut-off date by levying a nominal transfer fee. The decision, having precedence in the Rajiv Gandhi Prakalp and slum redevelopment scheme, is likely to benefit approximately 10,000 slum-dwellers - most of who relocated from other slums in the state.

State chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad said the government was yet to take a final decision. But sources said the government will announce a decision after taking the state cabinet into confidence.

Concern was voiced by Congress member of Parliament Eknath Gaikwad and his daughter Varsha, who is the state cabinet minister for women and child welfare. The Gaikwads, along with four sitting corporators from Dharavi, had raised questions on Mhada's capability to implement the project in the light of its poor construction quality. Senior bureaucrats had voiced similar apprehensions to Chavan.

The sources said that while Chavan emphathized with their concerns, he was also worried that the government would face allegations of financial irregularity with developers. Moreover, with civic elections around the corner, Chavan wanted to launch the ambitious Rs 15,000-crore redevelopment scheme at the earliest. Chavan had tentatively fixed May 1, Maharashtra Day, to launch the project and show the government's concern for slum-dwellers, a traditional vote-bank.

With the government ready to give its nod, plans are afoot to amend development control rules, framed specially for Dharavi, to include Mhada as an agency along with private developers, to redevelop the slum colony. According to government officials, redeveloping Sector 5 will be relatively easy for Mhada. "The sector adjoining the Bandra-Kurla Complex road has a huge vacant plot admeasuring 55,000 square feet. The space will help Mhada construct transit camps for slum-dwellers and develop the remaining area without hindrance,'' an official said.

To bypass criticism of poor quality of construction, Mhada may appoint a private sub-contractor like Larsen & Tourbo though Shirke Constructions is its sole official contractor.

The sources said eligible slum-dwellers will get 300 square feet flats free. Those wanting larger homes of 400 square feet will pay for the extra 100 square feet at construction cost. A survey by Mashaal, a non-government organization, showed that nearly 87% people in Dharavi live in homes of less than 150 square feet and 93 % in less than 225 square feet.

The government may increase the premium from Rs 600 a sq ft to Rs 2,000 a sq ft when it calls for bids for the other four sectors later in the year.

The Dharavi revamp plan divides the 535-acre slum into five sectors for constructing a modern township. To pre-qualify, bidders must complete at least one 40-hectare township with a minimum built-up area of 7 mn sq ft; have a gross net worth of 30% of the project cost for one sector (about Rs 1,800 crore) and have an average annual turnover for the past three years which is at least 25% of the sector's project cost. For every 100 sq ft used to rehabilitate slumdwellers, the developer can sell another 133 sq ft in the free market.


Source : Link (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mhada-to-get-Dharavi-Sector-5/articleshow/7613504.cms)

State to start Dharavi revamp with Sector 5 later this year
The state government on Wednesday said it would take up development of one of the five sectors of Dharavi within seven months through the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), but was undecided on the remaining four sectors.

“We can take responsibility for developing Sector 5 via MHADA within six to seven months. We are checking if we can redo the tender process for the project and call for new bids for the remaining four sectors,” said Minister of State for Housing Sachin Ahir in the Legislative Council. He was replying to a question raised by MLC Subhash Chavan regarding delay in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project and the plan to redevelop the BDD chawls. Ahir said two meetings had been held regarding BDD chawls but a decision had not been taken.

In his reply, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the government had received several Expressions of Interest (EOI) during the earlier global tendering process for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, but the minimum premium price quoted in the tender was less. “It seemed to benefit the developer more than the government. Only six bidders are now left and it would not be transparent to develop the remaining four sectors among these. We are checking if we can redo the process.”

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Chavan said MHADA would develop Sector 5 “There are issues of eligibility. The other four sectors are complicated. The government is seriously considering this long-pending project and we want this project to be “adarsh”. The value locked in land should come to the government. We will need to private parties but through an open and transparent process. If we take only these five-six bidders, there is possibility of rings being formed,” said Chavan.


Source : Link (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/state-to-start-dharavi-revamp-with-sector-5-later-this-year/766405/)

Psshhh....

Slum rehabilitation may also take auction route
The state government’s plans to auction cluster redevelopment rights among competing developers may also be used as a model for slum rehabilitation schemes including Dharavi. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said he was thinking of using the auction as a model for developing slums. “We are
developing sector five of Dharavi. Our calculations show that the cost of land, which is right next to the Bandra-Kurla Complex is around Rs22,000 crore. Why should the government let builders rake in the moolah? If it is public land, let the profit go into the public coffers. It can be used for developmental work,” he said.

The cluster redevelopment auction model could change the nature of redevelopment deals in the city.

The Hindustan Times had first reported that Chavan was doing a rethink on cluster policy in its report on March 11.

So far, redevelopment policies have been based on the government using Floor Space Index (FSI) as a virtual resource to provide developers with an incentive to take up urban renewal proposals.

However, officials said that past experience shows that this model is tilted to favour developers. “There is no tab on how much profit a developer can make in the end. There is also no tab by the government on ensuring quality of construction for the rehabilitated tenements,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

Auctioning the rights for developers involved in slum rehabilitation can also weed out controversial policy decisions like the 3K clause in slum policy.

Chavan also said he was looking at reworking this clause.

The clause empowers the government to hand over the redevelopment of a large cluster of slums without inviting any bids, almost on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Kailash Agarwal, chairman, Nish Developers, whose cluster revamp project at Lalbaug is the only project that has taken off in city welcomed the proposal.

“There is lot of headache while dealing with the tenants and the auction will bring in more transparency and generate more money for the state exchequer,” said Agarwal.

However, this could stall cluster projects in the pipeline including two mega cluster projects - redevelopment of the C ward and the Bhendi Bazar redevelopment - that were cleared by the high powered committee led by civic commissioner Subodh Kumar last week.


Source : Link (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Slum-rehabilitation-may-also-take-auction-route/Article1-686606.aspx)

Shot in the arm for Dharavi redevpt
MUMBAI: Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday said slum dwellers found ineligible for rehabilitation under the post-January 1, 2000, cut-off date fixed by the state government could form part of the prestigious Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).

On payment of a transfer fee, slum dwellers could become eligible for a 300-sq ft flat in Dharavi. A final decision on this issue, which would finally kickstart the DRP, is expected to be taken within a week's time.

Chavan gave this assurance to a delegation of Dharavi residents at Mantralaya on Thursday. Congress legislator Varsha Gaikwad and Congress district president Hukumraj Mehta had led the delegation to Chavan after the residents said they would go on a hunger strike from May 16 if the DRP was not implemented. The hunger strike has now been deferred to May 24.

If the government accepts this decision (of levying a transfer fee), then it clears the final hurdle to implementing the DRP. The state had been dithering on taking a decision on the DRP as it did not know what to do with the estimated 15,000 families who had set up shanties post 2000 in Dharavi. "It would have created a major law and order problem if they were forcibly evicted. With civic elections round the corner, the Congress government would not have also survived politically. So, a more humane approach was sought," said an official.

According to Mehta, they have suggested the government charge a transfer fee as by the state housing board

. "Considering the fact that slum dwellers will get a 300 sq ft flat costing Rs 15-20 lakh free of cost, I do not see any reason for anyone to protest the transfer fee," said Mehta

Under the revised proposal - currently awaiting the approval of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan - the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) will redevelop one sector and fresh bids will be invited from private developers to redevelop the balance four sectors. Under the proposal, flats measuring 300 sq ft and an additional 100 sq ft will be given on cost of construction.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Authority has recommended an increase in the premium amount to be charged from private developers from Rs 450 a sq ft to over Rs 2,500 a sq ft. Qualifying criteria allowing only those who have developed approximately 70 lakh sq ft of space to bid for the project has been dropped. "The earlier criteria was retrograde as it excluded a majority of Indian developers from competitive bidding and restricted the benefit to a few like DLF. This affects providing a clean competitive environment," said a senior government official.


Source : Link (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-13/mumbai/29539663_1_transfer-fee-slum-dwellers-ft)

55% of Mumbai population lives in slums. This is a huge issue. What are the most effective tools in dealing with this problem? Open question.

55% of Mumbai population lives in slums. This is a huge issue. What are the most effective tools in dealing with this problem? Open question.

Short term: Rehabilitation, proper control by authorities stopping new slums to sprout.. etc..

Long term: Reasonable development and job opportunities in Other parts of India.. Mostly slum dwellers are all migrants coming into Mumbai for livelihood.. If u can provide decent opportunities in their own places, this would stop!

^^ agree completely

The mass exodus of people into the cities from rural areas will not stop anytime soon...most studies state this (McKinsey's is a good example):

“It took nearly 40 years for [India’s] urban population to rise by 230m, but it will take only half this time to add the next 250m. Cities will be core to India’s economic growth,” they argue.

“They (cities) will generate 70 per cent of net new jobs created by 2030, produce more than 70 per cent of GDP, and stimulate a near fourfold increase in per capita incomes across the nation.”

source: http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/mginews/india_urban_rising.asp

One solution would be to locate the Industrial sectors on the outskirts of the cities, with services such as IT taking up space within the city.
The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor looks good on paper, but given Japan's recent trouble I doubt we will receive any financial backing from them as envisaged.

Short term: Rehabilitation, proper control by authorities stopping new slums to sprout.. etc..

Long term: Reasonable development and job opportunities in Other parts of India.. Mostly slum dwellers are all migrants coming into Mumbai for livelihood.. If u can provide decent opportunities in their own places, this would stop!

I don't know if the migrant workers are going to want to go back to some remote village. I think there is more at play here than just work. Some might go back but a lot will want to remain. As the previous poster suggested. Setting up industry and factories on the outskirts of the city might be the best alternative.

I don't know if the migrant workers are going to want to go back to some remote village. I think there is more at play here than just work. Some might go back but a lot will want to remain. As the previous poster suggested. Setting up industry and factories on the outskirts of the city might be the best alternative.

I am not talking abt people going back.. I am talking abt stopping them from coming to Mumbai in the 1st place!! Thats y I said long term plan!!

Plus, When I said abt creating more oppurtunities for livelihood, my point was distribute the people who want to migrate.. If all those who want to come to mumbai can be split up btwn lot of regional cities or towns, formation of slums can be reduced!

Say, a bihari frm a remote village would prefer moving to patna or ranchi rather than mumbai if he had enough oppurtunities there!

I am not talking abt people going back.. I am talking abt stopping them from coming to Mumbai in the 1st place!! Thats y I said long term plan!!

Plus, When I said abt creating more oppurtunities for livelihood, my point was distribute the people who want to migrate.. If all those who want to come to mumbai can be split up btwn lot of regional cities or towns, formation of slums can be reduced!

Say, a bihari frm a remote village would prefer moving to patna or ranchi rather than mumbai if he had enough oppurtunities there!

Rehabilitation is a good short term strategy but with it there needs to be shoring up of manufacturing so that labor is utilized in the most effective manner and there is social mobility.

The concept regarding creation of opportunities in small towns/villages to discourage people from coming to cities will also, in my view, be a short-medium term solution. In a democracy like India the mass migration of people to cities is inevitable given the economic realities and opportunities found in cities. In my view the long term plan ought to be to develop cities and surrounding communities/towns to support this influx because it is going to continue. I do agree however that if more development takes place in towns like Kanpur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Gwalior, and even Jhansi then more people will in fact stay back in work in those towns.

Also (this is extremely long term) as capital advancements and technology in Agriculture takes place fewer people will be needed to produce the same output. Once a nation becomes more literate and it's human development index rises more and more people gain access to more knowledge intensive jobs and that is the future for India.

I veered of a little how it helps put the entire picture in focus and perspective.

Well guys dont think i have negative perception..But this project will take around 40 years to take shape..Bombay or Slumbay or slumbai has lots of slums.Its part of Bombays Tradition to have slums..They are tresures for politics.....

just opening a can of worms... retrace congress which almost invited pple into slums in the late 80s and 90s for votes... some MPs even donated food grains, liquor, and cash in noted slum pockets in Dharavi and Bandra (E) to gain votes... nowadays all parties do the same... then not to speak of corruption in villages or districts from where the exodus begins... n then the money doesn't trickle down to the ordinary pple... and lower rates of literacy... wat i detest the most is the manner in which an ordinary slum dweller has bcome dishonest... cannot be generalized tho... but like some slums in ghatkoper have almost entire colonies from these villages... in the name of SRA or whatever... slum dwellers nexus for renting SRA flats... and almost disregard to trees, mangroves and other public property - like slums in wadala...

And no wonder most movies in late 80s and early 90s were movies where protagonist was a slum dweller... and something more happened when slums increased... usage of pan... and pan spat over everywhere...

I am not talking abt people going back.. I am talking abt stopping them from coming to Mumbai in the 1st place!! Thats y I said long term plan!!

Plus, When I said abt creating more oppurtunities for livelihood, my point was distribute the people who want to migrate.. If all those who want to come to mumbai can be split up btwn lot of regional cities or towns, formation of slums can be reduced!

Say, a bihari frm a remote village would prefer moving to patna or ranchi rather than mumbai if he had enough oppurtunities there!

Doubts cast over redevelopment of Dharavi sector five

The much-touted redevelopment of sector five of Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, is leading to a political turf-war between the ruling Congress-Nationalist-Congress coalition and the Shiv Sena, what with elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation round the corner.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will be in charge of the project. However, the project has hit a roadblock with the Sena-led BMC having raised objections, including not having been consulted.

Rahul Shewale, Sena corporator and chairman of the civic body's standing committee, in a letter to the Chief Minister dated May 27, said: “There should be a clarification on what [stands to be gained] from the development of sector five. The BMC is the planning authority for the Dharavi Rehabilitation Project [and owns 70 per cent of the land in the whole of Dharavi]. Despite this, the government has not consulted us on any matter. No thought has been given to the provision of amenities by the corporation.”

The MHADA, meanwhile, was off to a false start. The agency decided to conduct a fresh survey of the number of structures in sector five, which is among the least dense areas in Dharavi. This, activists fear, would only delay the project, judging by the experience in the years gone by. An earlier survey conducted by the Lahore-based non-profit organisation, Mashal, had put the number of structures in the sector at 9,289.

“It was decided that the MHADA should do the survey. It will be done on the basis of two cut-off dates for eligibility — years 1995 and 2000. The planning stage, for which an external agency will be appointed, has been started,” a government official said.

Sceptical

Raju Korde, head of the Dharavi Bachao Samiti, was sceptical about the project taking off, seeing the fresh call for redevelopment as an instance of mere dalliance, for political gains, on the part of the government.

“The original plan of February 4, 2004 [when the Dharavi project was started], does not even include the area that now forms sector five. It was added after we demanded it. And now the government has set aside the main plan and is focussing on this sector. It is one of the least dense sectors. This is just a political gimmick ahead of the BMC polls as the Dharavi issue has implications for the whole of Maharashtra,” he said.

Mr. Korde said much of the land in the area either was privately owned or fell under the hull of the BMC. State-owned transit camps and some land around a sewage treatment plant is what the government could use.

‘Not representative'

“A majority of the land belongs to the municipality. This sector five development is going to turn into a Congress versus Sena [battle],” said Jockin Arputham, president of the National Slum Dwellers' Federation (NSDF).

According to Mr. Arputham, the sector did not represent the real Dharavi. “If the government is planning to make this a model sector, shouldn't they have chosen dense areas? How can this be a model for development? We are still talking of surveys. If you call people and they queue up, is it a survey? No. You have to go from house to house.”

Mr. Arputham pointed out that there still was lack of a clear policy on eligibility. “Will it be structure by structure? Will it be for all the persons living in a structure? Looks like they just want to give a push-start in view of the BMC elections,” he said.

Asked about the political gains from the project in light of the civic polls, Varsha Gaikwad, State Minister and Congress MLA from the Dharavi constituency, told The Hindu, “This issue is of development, not politics. People try to stop work for various reasons. If we can give children in Dharavi the environment that children in [the posh] Malabar Hill have, people will support us. But I cannot link Dharavi and politics. The place is like home to me.”

Ms. Gaikwad said she was “very positive” about the redevelopment. “The Chief Minister has conducted many meetings. Soon, development of other sectors will also be discussed. We chose sector five because it's small and we have transit camps and more open space, thus making it more convenient. The people of Dharavi want development.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2060064.ece

^^
MHADA opts for competitive bids for Sector 5

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) will opt for competitive bids to redevelop Sector 5 at Dharavi instead of going ahead with its official contractor. Shirke Constructions is the sole official contractor for Mhada. However, there has been criticism over this monopo
ly in the past. “This will bring in more transparency and there will be no room for criticism if we sub contract the work through competitive bidding instead of nominating a contractor,” said minister of state for housing, Sachin Ahir, who confirmed the development.

The housing agency, which has been given a go ahead to develop the sector, wants to ensure that the quality of construction of rehabilitated tenements is on par with the best.

Sources said chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was keen to showcase Mhada’s capabilities of carrying out the redevelopment by ensuring good quality construction and earning sufficient revenue for the state in the process.

The model, if successful, is likely to get replicated in various other redevelopment projects. A designated officer in Mhada will undertake the work of finalising the eligibility of tenants in Sector 5 instead of the civic body.

Mhada has also decided to rehabilitate the tenants before the slums are demolished.

The housing agency is currently preparing a road map for the redevelopment. It is still undecided on how to exploit the remaining vacant land after all the existing eligible tenants are housed.

Ahir said the government was deliberating on whether the land should be auctioned off or the housing agency should construct affordable houses under its Low Income Group, Middle Income Group and High Income Group schemes. The cost of the land in Dharavi, closest to Bandra-Kurla Complex, is around Rs 22,000 crore.

Source : Link (http://www.hindustantimes.com/MHADA-opts-for-competitive-bids-for-Sector-5/Article1-706605.aspx)

Its Funny to hear the word ASAP and Government in the same article!! :D


Dharavi redevelopment takes off on ‘ASAP basis’
After the state government’s decision to hand over the redevelopment of Dharavi to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the agency had its first meeting to chart out a road map for the project on Tuesday. While principal secretary (housing) Gautam Chatterjee asked the officials to take up the project as soon as possible, the authority’s top brass will take a month to appoint project management consultants.

MHADA vice-president Satish Gawai said that since the state has now shown great faith in its capability, Mhada will be on war footing to take the project ahead. “There is a lot of human element attached to the project. Dharavi redevelopment has been discussed in drawing rooms and meetings for over a decade. Now the government wants us to take up sector 5 on ‘ASAP basis’. In another 15-20 days, it will be floating tenders for the consultants. Our officials have the basic knowledge about redevelopment, but expertise vis-a-vis Dharavi needs to be explored,” said Gawai.

Senior MHADA officials said that keeping in mind the social importance of the project, a special cell with a senior officer in charge will be launched. “This cell will hear out grievances of the residents,” said an official. He added that the eligibility survey carried out by NGO Mashal, will be treated as a base for the project. The residents will get 300 sq ft houses after redevelopment. “We do not expect much resistance to this offer as people in Dharavi are tired of the living conditions there,” opined an official.

Although the authority has expressed confidence that it has the funds for the first round of redevelopment, which is likely to cost approximately Rs2,000 crore, senior officials said that MHADA has many options. “The World Bank and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation have shown interest in participating in Dharavi redevelopment. If needed, we can always approach them. The state as well as the Centre can also be approached,” said an official.


Source : Link (http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_dharavi-redevelopment-takes-off-on-asap-basis_1548006)

Lol. Good one.

Dharavi revamp: MHADA to begin headcount in Sector 5
The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will soon begin a fresh headcount of Dharave Sector 5 residents. The housing board, which was recently told that it will be allowed to redevelop one of the five sectors in the slum sprawl, is now aiming to start construction at site in another six months.

According to the previous survey that was carried out by non-government organisation Mashal, there are a total of 9,289 families living in the sector close to Mahim Nature Park. Of the total 62-hectare Sector 5, only 23 hectares will come under redevelopment and is expected to yield an additional 5,000 flats for public housing. The remaining area includes private land, already developed areas, areas falling under ONGC or BEST and the nature park.

“In a private SRA project, the developer usually pays the slumdwellers who settled after the cut-off date, but we cannot ignore the many residents living in Dharavi who are technically ineligible. Hence, MHADA will be carrying out a fresh survey of its own that will take into account even those who have settled there post the cut-off date of 2000 or those staying on mezzanine floors,” said a senior MHADA official.

The official added that since MHADA already has 2,000-odd transit camps at Dharavi, once the eligibility criteria is decided, the shifting of residents and construction work is expected to start within six months. “While the transit camps are readily available, according to our calculations, the construction cost of each new flat will work out to around Rs 5 lakh in case of seven storey structures and over Rs 10 lakh if we are forced to go for highrise construction,” he added.


Source : Link (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Dharavi-revamp--MHADA-to-begin-headcount-in-Sector-5/795901/)

Does anybody have any information on the major architects in this project. I'm an Indian undergraduate student studying architecture in New York, and I have always wanted to do slum rehabilitation as a profession. Being able to converse with these architects would be of great help. Any sort of information would be helpful.

Thanks!

contact sharad pawar :)

Does anybody have any information on the major architects in this project. I'm an Indian undergraduate student studying architecture in New York, and I have always wanted to do slum rehabilitation as a profession. Being able to converse with these architects would be of great help. Any sort of information would be helpful.

Thanks!

Many companies will be filling the tenders. Once more information regarding the contenders is available you can contact the ones you would like to work with.

Will the tenants be paying rent? I think free housing is not a good idea. Why should only the slum dwellers get preferential treatment. What about the middle class workers who stay in dilapidated buildings?

What provisions are being made to see that no more Dharavi like slums will come up in Mumbai? What about the new migrants? Are they going to be sent back?

CM speeds up Dharavi facelift before civic polls

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has asked the authorities to expedite the much delayed Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Sector 5. The CM, who is also the minister for housing, chaired a meeting of all senior officials and asked that the DC (development control) rules and the notification be expedited so that work on the project can commence.

Officials, who attended the meeting, said they expect the mega project to kick off soon. The Dharavi Redevelopment Project is expected to alter Asia's largest slum zone, and create a huge amount of realty that can be sold as commercial and residential properties. Mhada (Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority) will undertake the redevelopment project.

A senior official said the project is important because it will be the first major redevelopment project and will set the benchmark for all the other projects in Mumbai. It will help the government learn aspects that need reconsideration.There are over 70,000 slums in Dharavi, with about 11,000 in Sector 5. However, Raju Korde, of the Dharavi Bachao Andolan Samiti, said he had his doubts that work on Sector 5 could take off as the area is regulated by the CRZ (coastal regulation zone).

Meanwhile, the chief minister also expressed his concern about the presence of an estimated 22,000 slums on the slopes of the various hills that dot Mumbai.



Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday asked the administration to prepare a time-bound programme for redeveloping Dharavi slums. He said he had not decided on the sectors other than sector-5 that the state agencies would take up for makeover. Chavan confirmed to the media at his office that the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) would soon start developing sector-5 of the slums because the area was relatively free of encroachments and tenants there ready to move out to transit camps.
A source in the Congress that the CM represents said that the party wanted him to start something concrete in Dharavi before the next year’s civic elections. “People in Dharavi are already agitated because of the incessant delay. We cannot afford any further resentment,” said a senior Congress legislator requesting anonymity.

But the CM was not sure about the deadline. “I can’t say when but I can tell you that Mhada will do it (redevelopment) as early as possible. Tenders for inviting construction contractors will be floated very soon,” he said.

The CM insisted on testing the Mhada model for its success before using it for the remaining four sectors. “We will use the Mhada model if it is successful in sector-5.”

Other than the Dharavi makeover, Chavan reviewed other urban development and housing issues in the city. He has asked the state machinery to make an inventory of all no-development land in the city. This land is owned by several state and central agencies and CM needs to have a proper inventory so that he can get some of it cleared for development from the Centre.

Chavan is likely to take up the city’s housing issue in New Delhi where he will participate in a meeting on September 27. “I will discuss coastal regulatory zone issues, possibility of developing salt pans and having a regulator for the real estate industry.”

The CM said that the saltpan land could also be used for development. “But then the state needs to have 51% or more stakes in the company or agency that will take up such a project. It’s a issue that needs to be debated in more detail,” he said.

Source : Link1 (http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_hasten-dharavi-redevelopment-project-prithviraj-chavan-tells-authorities_1589301)
Source : Link2 (http://www.hindustantimes.com/CM-speeds-up-Dharavi-facelift-before-civic-polls/Article1-747873.aspx)

Govt to expedite Dharavi rehab plan
Sanjay Jog & Aneesh Phadnis / Mumbai January 03, 2012, 0:21 IST

Maharashtra Cabinet changes norms to make present occupiers of slums eligible for rehabilitation.

Ahead of the crucial elections to the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation next month, the Maharashtra government on Monday took a crucial decision with regard to the eligibility of the occupiers of slums for rehabilitation with cut off date of January 1, 2000 and of those structures which have come up prior to January 1, 1995, in the city. Today’s decision has given a major impetus to expedite the implementation of the Rs 9,000 crore redevelopment of sector 5 of Dharavi slum project and the rehabilitation of 80,000 slum families on the Mumbai airport land.

source (http://www.businessstandard.com/india/news/govt-to-expedite-dharavi-rehab-plan/460585/)
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the amount of fee would be decided soon. “This decision is a fulfilment of the promise given by the Congress-NCP during 2009 elections,” he said.

Even though the Dharavi redevelopment project and the expansion of Mumbai international airport project were already declared as “vital projects”, with the cut off date of January 1, 2000, today’s decision comes as another good news for the redevelopment projects.

Occupiers were facing hurdles due to anomaly between the Maharashtra Slums Act and the Development Control Regulations over eligibility for rehabilitation. The state government today gave its approval for inclusion of a new chapter in the Maharashtra Slums Act, 1971, and modification in the Development Control Regulations, Rule 33 (10) whereby the present occupiers would be entitled for rehabilitation.

It must be mentioned here that the entire tendering process initiated by Chavan’s predecessors prior to November 2010 had already been scrapped. As per the revised government decision, the state-run Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority would implement the Dharavi redevelopment by roping in contractors.

At the same time, the rehabilitation of 80,000 families living on the slums on Mumbai airport land has been hanging fire for long as the government decided to reframe the rehabilitation policy. About 20,000 tenements in Kurla area of Mumbai to relocate the slum dwellers are ready but shifting could not take place because of local opposition to the survey and demand for a change in the rehabilitation policy.

Mumbai International Airport Limited, which is developing the airport has tied up with the Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) to construct tenements for relocation of slum dwellers. HDIL has constructed tenements at Kurla and Bhandup and is busy acquiring additional land to rehabilitate the slum dwellers. According to the current norms, a person has to be a resident of a structure prior to January 2000 to be eligible for protection and he/she should have the required government documents to qualify for rehabilitation. This excludes those occupants who purchased shanties after January 2000. Now, rehabilitation would be possible after today’s decision as the present occupier would be entitled for rehabilitation, the government official said.

Similarly, slum dwellers who settled after January 1, 1995, would now be eligible for rehabilitation. According to the state cabinet decision, even though the occupier of a structure has changed over the years, the present occupier would be eligible for rehabilitation after payment of necessary transfer fee and charges.

Existing provisions in the Maharashtra Slum Act (1971) permit housing for “absolute” owners of slum structures found before January 1, 1995. The new chapter which advocates that families residing in post-January 1, 1995, structures would be eligible for affordable housing, which could be made available either by way of slum redevelopment, slum improvement or rental homes.

Let's hope something happens this time.

Mumbai: Dharavi re-development set to take off (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mumbai-dharavi-redevelopment-set-to-take-off/217529-3.html)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday paved the way for a massive development of central Mumbai's Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, made famous by the Oscar Award winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" and Gregory David Roberts novel "Shantaram."
Announcing amendments to the state's Development Control Rules (DCR), making the project a time-bound possibility, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said a 10-year corpus fund would be created for developing Sector 5 in Dharavi, which is mainly owned by the government.
He said the state's apex housing body, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will be the nodal agency to re-develop it systematically, within seven years.

The congested shanties and dilapidated tenements in Dharavi - which houses nearly 1.20 million dwellers in more than 100,000 dwellings according to the National Slumdwellers' Federation of India secretary M.G. Shekhar -- would be re-developed as clusters of 300 square feet carpet area each.
He said that the state government had given the go-ahead for the Dharavi re-development project - spread across 535 hectares - but it did not register any significant progress.
"We have now given a boost for the project. It is poised to change the face of Dharavi," Chavan said.
Chavan's announcement came barely an hour before the State Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan declared the schedule for polls to 10 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Feb 16 and 27 Zilla Parishads Feb 7.
The mega project would also include development of roads, toilets, gardens and playgrounds.
The original re-development of Dharavi, approved in 2004, aimed at benefitting around 60,000 families living there. But now, along with the families all existing small businesses shall also be protected.
Now, the state plans to invite competitive bids for the re-development proposal.
Chavan said that one of the hitches to re-development was that nearly 20 percent of Dharavi land was owned privately.
"Urban experts and NGOs suggested options of permitting self-development jointly by the land-owners and the residents/tenants. We shall look into this," Chavan said.
Dharavi is located strategically, flanked by the posh Bandra-Kurla Complex, which houses top business centres and the US consulate and British Deputy High Commission on the north, and newly-developed prime areas of Wadala to the east, and mega-commercial and residential areas in south and west.
Boasting of a thriving mini-economy with many small scale industries, it is also one of the most crime-prone areas of Mumbai, termed as the "city underbelly" by Roberts.

^wet dreams

Hope MHADA helps in facilitating sector 5 but hands over property construction rights to the private sector. Can't think how Dharavi will look any better with government constructed buildings in Dharavi - which are nothing but vertical slums - as is the case of most govt constructed quarters!

Post BMC elections the project will again go in the policy paralysis phase. Its amazing how shamelessly the politicians would try to influence voters by regurgiating old undelivered and never acted on poll promises.The same Dharavi project has been shamlessly flogged by the Con party in the previous elections too.

Hope MHADA helps in facilitating sector 5 but hands over property construction rights to the private sector. Can't think how Dharavi will look any better with government constructed buildings in Dharavi - which are nothing but vertical slums - as is the case of most govt constructed quarters!

MHADA doesnt construct any houses on it own but sub contracts it to third party but the ownership remains with MHADA. Private builders will not be allowed. And leavin beside misconceptions, MHADA buildings are not bad, they are sold to people, they are built,maintained well,people pay maintainence charges unlike quarters system

The sector they have chosen for development is an apt one.They are mostly residential colonies .The social,political implications wont be one. The rest of the dharavi is industrial based which generates 1billion $ in sales(we have suppliers from there) so displacing them wont b easy

The sector they have chosen for development is an apt one.They are mostly residential colonies .The social,political implications wont be one. The rest of the dharavi is industrial based which generates 1billion $ in sales(we have suppliers from there) so displacing them wont b easy

While I do believe the entire factory chain micro-economy will get shaken(good article on that here (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/216254/dharavi-self-created-special-economic.html)) - I still don't believe a slum in the center of a world financial center like Mumbai is right place for coddling this. Labor is the biggest currency that favors Mumbai's meteoric rise - however, relocating the entire center to Mumbai's outskirts - under a Special Purpose Vehicle - akin to an tax-free Industrial and export-zone - would be a pragmatic move.

Dharavi itself can be reclaimed for a part- financial center complex and part Rehab/Lower/middle/Luxury Zoned residential projects to satisfy both social as well as profit lobbies, to be successful.

Sounds like a dream - but then again - If they can pull off a giant project like Metro in some of the most congested places on the planet in Mumbai - this should be possible. Would take some time for such as land acquisition for the SEZ - but would serve as good role-model for other massive slums like Golibar and the Ghatkopar slums belt as well.

MHADA doesnt construct any houses on it own but sub contracts it to third party but the ownership remains with MHADA. Private builders will not be allowed. And leavin beside misconceptions, MHADA buildings are not bad, they are sold to people, they are built,maintained well,people pay maintainence charges unlike quarters system

MHADA homes are very good. They are some of the most coveted after properties in Mumbai. However, the allotment procedure is highly non transparent and is vulnerable to corruption.
People are known to pay huge bribes to MHADA officials to let their name appear in the 'allotment lottery'.

Just becoz they are the most coveted properties does not make then "good". A slum in Dharavi went for 57L. That does not make it a world class destination.

One just needs to a take a look at the 5 yr old buildings in Mankhurd area where PAPs have been relocated. They look like some 100 year old dungeon out of some horror movie.

Dharavi is going to transform from a horizontal slum to a vertical one

Investors could make a beeline for shacks after govt decision.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/investors-could-make-a-beeline-for-shacks-after-govt-decision/895980/

The state government’s announcement ahead of BMC elections to expand the free housing net in the city is expected to trigger a rush among investors who would want to buy slum shacks for the huge dividends they will offer when they come up for redevelopment, housing experts said.
Until now, only shanties built before the cut-off date of 1995 and residents who have been living there before the same cut-off date were eligible for free housing under the Slum Rehabilitation (SRA) scheme.

In the case of shanties in Dharavi, on airport land and those affected by vital infrastructure projects, the cut-off date was 2000, both for residents and their shacks. But in an attempt to appear like it is fulfilling a promise it made ahead of BMC elections in 2007 — that the cut-off for all slums would be extended to 2000 — the Congress-NCP alliance government announced on Monday that free housing would become available to anyone who purchases an eligible structure at any time, provided they can furnish proof that they have been living there for at least a year. All they are required to do is pay a transfer fee of Rs 40,000.

The latest announcement came a day before BMC elections were announced and voting set for February 16.

“Slum residents will be stripped of the very protection that was available to them by virtue of not allowing them to transfer their property. Now it becomes easier for builders and middle classes investors to buy a shanty from the slumdweller, who will go and live in a hutment elsewhere,” (Mera Bharat Mahaan) said housing expert and former MHADA chairperson Chandrashekhar Prabhu.

A government-commissioned survey carried out by Pune-based NGO Mashal (Maharashtra Social Housing and Action League) in Dharavi showed that in anticipation of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project taking off soon, more than 5,000 shanties were purchased by investors over four to five months in 2009 alone. Prabhu added that the Cabinet’s recent move could also come to the notice of the Supreme Court as it had earlier allowed the government to extend the cut-off date for free housing to 1995 based on the undertaking that it would not be extended further. (Blood sucking politicians should be jailed for contempt of court)

Pankaj Joshi from the Urban Design Research Institute pointed out that the policy will end up turning eligible shanties into a marketable commodity. “As of today, 800 of the total 1200 SRA projects are stuck in litigation as almost 50 per cent of the people in each project were rendered ineligible. While the new rule will ease the issue for developers and bring in a huge number of slums into the net of SRA, it will put a heavy strain on infrastructure since for every free house that a developer constructs for the slum resident, his own share of free sale component increases,” he said.

Prabhu said the state government’s free housing policy is in direct conflict with the Centre’s policy of getting slum residents to contribute a portion of the money that goes into providing them formal housing. “People living in slums are able and willing to contribute money for a permanent house. The trap of free housing is the reason why such Central schemes don’t take off in Mumbai,” said Sharad Mahajan, founder of Mashal. He added that in Pune alone, the NGO had collected Rs 3.5 crore from slum residents for construction of their houses.

when??? when this will start????
when the slum population rises from 1 million to 10 million??
and those living in slums become ever more greedy??
why govt. is fudging us like this??

i have lost all my hope..

Mumbai slum makeover finally comes

THE Dharavi slum, a dense sprawl of ramshackle shanties and sweatshops in the heart of Mumbai, presents a stark contrast with the better-off bits of India's richest city and its growing number of swanky business centres and luxury residences.

Asia's biggest slum, made famous by the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, is a bustling town in itself where more than one million people live and work to generate annual turnover of about $1 billion.

Workers slog away for long hours in tanneries and recycling units listening to Bollywood music on the radio while barefoot children play outside in labyrinthine alleys. Travel operators with foreign tourists in tow run slum tours in Dharavi, a crime-prone area.

But a redevelopment plan costing more than $3 billion was expected to finally take off in the next several months and change the face of Dharavi and the country's commercial capital in the process.

Authorities in Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, recently announced new development regulations and were to invite tenders from contractors to relaunch the project originally announced in 2004.
Under the plan, developers would demolish Dharavi. They would provide homes for the slum-dwellers with total floor space of 2.78 million square metres. Developers would also get the right to build more than 3.7 million square metres of commercial space, shopping malls and luxury apartments.

The project has been on the back burner in recent years because of delays by authorities examining the plan, bidders backing out because of the huge investments involved and opposition from locals.
State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said anomalies in development rules had been removed to meet the demands of slum-dwellers and permit developers to construct more than what was previously allowed.

Yet its execution remained a challenge as slum-dwellers still oppose the "flawed" plan even as the project costs have jumped fivefold.
Save Dharavi Movement president Raju Korde said there were concerns over the size of the "tiny flats" for Dharavi residents and warned that thousands of families would go homeless.

Under the new rules, residents would receive 28-square-metre homes free in place of the 21-square-metre ones promised earlier, but they insist on 37 square metres.
"We are not opposing redevelopment, but residents should get a share of the benefits," Korde said. "A sophisticated land grab is happening in the garb of redevelopment."

Another challenge is the eligibility criteria that allow housing for 57,000 families, but Korde said more than 80,000 families are entitled to homes.
Sheikh Abu Khalid, former president of the Dharavi Businessmen Welfare Association, said livelihoods would be hit because many informal businesses would be evicted.

More than 4,500 industrial units are to be rehabilitated in a designated commercial area, but many businesses deemed polluting or hazardous would not be relocated.
"We will get better places to live, but what's the point if we have no bread to eat?" Abu Khalid asked. "What about rehabilitation of our recycling units, which are among the main industries here?"

Pranay Vakil, chairman of the property brokerage firm Knight Frank, said demands for bigger flats would cut redevelopment profits and deter developers "but it's a doable project."
Jockin Arputham, president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation, who has spearheaded the movement against the project, said it was pointless to delay it any further.

"We should definitely see the project start in two months following the February municipal polls," he said. "With community-based participation, we will keep fighting and get accommodation for the remaining families."

Dharavi has long been a hindrance to the aspirations of local authorities to transform Mumbai into a world-class city modelled on Shanghai.
A senior housing official who requested anonymity conceded that the plan would take a few months to launch.

Source : Link (http://main.omanobserver.om/node/80745)

^^^ Not until the fat lady sings!!!!

Have seem N number of plans and proposals. So lets just wait!!

Very promising. They seem to have included the biggest contention - the small scale industry and businessmen that were against the redevelopment project. This should allay their fears.
I think this is the most pragmatic of all Dharavi proposal - and will probably be the best chance for India to finally rid itself of the offensive tag of the Country That Has The World's Largest Slum !!! ( Not really true since Orangi Town in Karachi has beaten Dharavi - but Thanks to slumdog millionaire - Dharavi will remain in spotlight even if it becomes half the size of Orangi )

FSI of 4 or more is also interesting - that implies Towers of 200m-250m+!!



Dharavi: Govt issues detailed notification

The state government has issued the notification that paves the way for Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) or any other public authority to take up the ambitious and much-delayed redevelopment of one or more of the five sectors of Dharavi.

It was just hours before the election code of conduct came into force on January 3 that Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced the government’s decision to start the long-delayed Rs 15,000-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).

The detailed notification that has been issued now says hutments, chawls, commercial establishments and cessed buildings in the 535-acre shanty town will be redeveloped using an FSI of four through “the developer to be appointed by following competitive bidding process or through public authority”.

In case of hutments, all slumdwellers living in structures prior to 2000 will be eligible for self-contained 300 sq ft one bedroom apartments with balcony. Those living in much larger shanties at present will be eligible for a maximum 400 sq ft house where the extra 100 sq ft will have to be purchased at the construction cost. “Only the occupant and not the owner of the shanty will have a right to a new house,” said a senior state government official.

As for cessed structures and chawls that lie within Dharavi, those staying in homes up to 750 sq ft would get an equivalent area free of cost. Those living in bigger houses will have to pay for the additional area. Similarly, in case of commercial structures that are home to various industries, such as pottery, the maximum area available free of cost would be only 225 sq ft; those working out of bigger areas currently will have to pay for additional built-up.

The potters of Kumbharwada would also be provided with a 2,230 sq m common work space. In addition to the rehabilitation and sale component, each of the five sectors will have provision for schools, dispensaries, gymnasiums, welfare centres, library, markets and police chowkies.

The DRP was first given the nod in 2004. Developers, who are awarded the project for relocating the 60,000 families to highrise apartments, were to make profit by constructing apartments using the incentive FSI. While 19 bidders were initially keen to be a part of the project, the 2009 downturn brought the number down to seven. Officials said to start with now MHADA will take up redevelopment of the 23-hectare Sector 5 on its own.

“The redevelopment of other four sectors will be carried out either by MHADA or private developers selected through fresh bids. We have made provisions for deemed permissions to avoid procedural delays,” said the official.

For instance, the notification states that no-objection certificate in case of construction on public land should be issued within 30 days, building permission should be given within 60 days of submission of details and in case of transit tenements within 15 days. If authorities fail to meet the deadlines, the permission would be deemed to have been granted. Officials added that important details such as minimum bid price that is to be charged on the developers taking up the project are yet to be decided. However, the notification does require developers to deposit Rs 20,000 per house by way of corpus for maintenance of the property.

Source : Link (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dharavi-govt-issues-detailed-notification/906420/2)

New architect, fresh hope for Dharavi slums

On February 4, 2004 the Maharashtra state government passed an ambitious resolution stating it would redevelop Asia's biggest slum area in Sector 5 of Dharavi. Eight years have passed, and no measures taken to implement the resolution. In order to revive the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will be inviting tenders to appoint a new consultant for the project on Monday.

A MHADA official, requesting anonymity, revealed that the new consultant was being sought as the housing body was not pleased with the work of the architect who is overseeing the DRP.

At present, Mukesh Mehta is the Project Management Consultant, who was appointed at the beginning of the project, and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the entire design of the 535-acre plot that is split into five sectors. The decision to replace the consultant was also made after financial considerations were made about Mehta's remuneration.

"MHADA has already paid Mehta an amount of Rs 10 crore for his work, but we feel that the work was not up to mark and so we want a new consultant to be appointed," said a MHADA official.

Sector 5 was allotted to MHADA in 2010, but in the same year a controversy regarding the payment to be made to Mehta erupted, as he had complained that Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA) hadn't paid him. The government also passed a resolution (GR) directing the DRA to pay him.

"On Monday we will be inviting tenders for the appointment of a new consultant who will work on the entire redevelopment plan in Sector 5 of Dharavi, which will be developed on pilot basis by MHADA. The new consultant appointed will rework the entire plan and we won't be using any of the previous consultant's work," said the MHADA official.

According to an anonymous highly placed source, "Along with Sector 5, MHADA is also planning to redevelop Sector 3. While refurbishing Sector 5, MHADA will have to resettle and rehabilitate (R&R) nearly 69,000 families, and it expects to earn Rs 8,000 crore from the DRP," said the official.

Officials working on this DRP also mentioned that it will be easy to develop Sector 5 in Dharavi, but developing Sector 3 will be a daunting task, as there is a large amount of land that belongs to private owners in this area.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/images/Dharavi_295.jpg

Source : Link (http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/new-architect-fresh-hope-for-dharavi-slums-177018)

^^ok this project is not happening any time soon!! To hell with these reports!! The consultant will take his own sweet time to submit the report and thats it. These reports are a convenient ploy by the govt. to not do anything. What I cannot understand is why MHADA took so long to realize that the work of the previous consultant was not good.:bash:

I like the word in there: hopes.

Sector 5 Redevelopment Update


First phase of Dharavi revamp project set to take off in May

The Dharavi redevelopment - one of Mumbai's ambitious slum revamp project worth Rs15,000 crore - is all set to take off in May with its first phase of construction of 344 houses for the slumdwellers.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), which will be responsible for redeveloping sector 5, would begin the construction of the vacant plots on the land it owns. According to a senior Mhada official, who is overseeing the project, the contractors would be appointed within a month. "The work will start in the next three months and it will take at least two years to complete the construction," he said.
In the first phase, of the 62 hectares in sector 5, work will be carried out on the 7 hectares of land owned by Mhada. "We will not displace anyone. We want people to see the kind of buildings we are constructing, so that they get the confidence to move here," he said.

All the buildings will have rooms admeasuring 300 sqft for the residents. As part of the project, 23 hectares of land in sector 5 will be developed leading to rehabilitation of 9,300 hutments. The revamp would begin from Sion station heading towards Sant Rohidas Marg, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, and then at the areas along the Mahim creek and Mahim Nature Park, Prem Nagar and LBS Road.

Currently, the seed money for the project is Rs50 crore and there are indications that Rs250 crore would be added to Mhada's kitty. According to experts, the total cost for sector 5 may approximately come to Rs2,500 crore.

The revamp plan, mooted in 2004, has been facing a host of problems over the years. The global tenders to select the developers were scrapped recently. The state government, last year, decided to hand over sector 5 to Mhada with an aim of creating affordable houses.

The development authority will undertake phase II simultaneously and plans to float a tender to appoint its own project management consultant (PMC). The PMC would be required to undertake social survey, development plan and land analysis and study the financial viability of the project. "We will give him one year to prepare a roadmap to implement the project," said the official.
http://www.outlookindia.com/images/dhravi_sector_map_20031027.jpg

Source : Link (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/First-phase-of-Dharavi-revamp-project-set-to-take-off-in-May/Article1-815572.aspx)

Hope this is no false news. But I feel pretty optimistic about it :)

^^ +1. It does look like they are serious about this now.

Jeez-za-looo. Why don't they just get on with it already.

The NCP is desperate for this project i guess...since they are losing BMC elections consistently they are trying to push this project...Well not much hopes about this project..vote bank politics is delaying this project indefenitely

So the Dharavi Redevelopment Zone is split into 12 sectors, and Sector 5 is probably the first to be redeveloped. Within that sector, 344 houses are to be developed.

Sector 3 Redevelopment Update



‘Dharavi’s sector 3 should use cluster development model

Since more than half the land in Dharavi’s Sector 3 is owned by private parties, the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA) has now proposed that this sector should be redeveloped through the Cluster Development Model. A total of 12,600 slums have to be rehabilitated in Sector 3, which comprises 45 hectares. The sector consists of areas like Chamda Bazar, Vikhe Patil Nagar and AKG Nagar, and the authority has proposed that it be divided into 32 units, and that developers be appointed for each one.
According to a senior official of the authority, “Redeveloping the entire sector in one go would have taken decades as acquiring private properties is a herculean task. If we allow revamp of individual buildings, the whole planning would have been in tatters. Hence we decided to do it in clusters so that some uniformity is maintained.”

The plan came after DRA last month asked the state government to exclude Sector 3 from the project. However, there were apprehensions that such a move would derail the entire scheme, as all the other sectors are likely to demand that they too be excluded.

The Rs15,000 crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), mooted on February 4, 2004 to turn India’s largest slum into a plush township, has been courting controversy for years. Things came to such a head that the state cancelled the global tenders and handed over Sector 5 to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) for redevelopment. Mhada is set to start construction from May.

The Dharavi Bachao Samiti, which states it stands for transparency in the whole process, has expressed unhappiness over the manner in which the redevelopment process is being handled.

“There is confusion and the plan changes every second day. We, the residents, for whom the scheme is being implemented, are being kept in the dark,” said Milind Tulaskar, secretary, Dharavi Bachao Samiti.

Source : Link (http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Dharavi-s-sector-3-should-use-cluster-development-model/Article1-817609.aspx)

7-year-itch for Dharavi redevelopment project.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/apr/240412-mumbai-7-year-itch-for-Dharavi-redevelopment-project.htm

If you were sceptical about the claims of Mumbai turning into a world-class city by 2013, here’s something to prove you right. The first step towards revamping the city was expected to be the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). However, seven years and Rs 50.95 crore later, the ground realities haven’t changed. The recent CAG report, tabled in the assembly, states that the expenditure incurred on DRP has been unfruitful and the project is still in the planning stages. The report also claims that the appointment of the consultant was not done through a transparent bidding process and he was hired on a fee of one per cent of the total project value. DRP still hasn’t had a land survey done, and doesn’t have details of slum dwellers present in Dharavi. Apart from this, it’s been a year since Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) was supposed to develop sector V of Dharavi. The report claims MHADA has no planning even for that.

Realty check: The CAG report says the state government went into the Dharavi rehabilitation project without sufficient groundwork, and hence the Rs 50.95 crore spent so far has been fruitless. File pic

CAG has observed that though DRP is a prestigious project of the government, inception of a programme of such a huge magnitude without sufficient groundwork was unwarranted. The delay on part of government in deciding the various aspects of the project, lack of analysis of the complexities involved in the selection of PMC, eligibility of slum-dwellers, feasibility study, land acquisition process, infrastructure development study, tender process etc, rendered the spending of Rs 50.95 crore incurred on DRP unproductive.

Way off
The government, after slum rehabilitation scheme (SRS) came into effect in 1995, had targeted to rehabilitate denizens of 8.05 lakh slum dwellings within five years. However, according to the CAG report, even after 15 years, authorities have been able to rehabilitate dwellers of only 1.27 lakh slums, constituting about 15 per cent of the total number that existed in 1995. The slum population since then has grown by two folds and certain politicians also have been making demands that the cut-off date be increased to the year 2000. “As against the targeted rehabilitation of 8.05 lakh slum dwellings within five years, only 1.27 lakh slum dwellings could be rehabilitated in 15 years of implementations,” the CAG report says.

The report also adds, “There’s no evaluation of developers and the quality of construction is left to their discretion. SRA doesn’t have any database of slums to decide whether government intervention is required for redevelopment of non-viable slums.” In one of its findings, CAG has also pointed out that the Slum Act did not have any provisions regarding the quality of work rendered in SRS. The report also states that in the exit conference the principal secretary accepted the fact that there were many buildings with problems pertaining to poor construction.

Let it grow!
According to activists who have been fighting for slum dwellers, the slum population has grown from some 40 lakh to 70 lakh in the last 15 years. “Now, there would be not less than 14 lakh slum dwellings in Mumbai. The way slum rehabilitation was thought of, with the inclusion of private builders, it was more lucrative for developers because of the incentives involved. The slum population has almost doubled in the last few years and the trend would remain the same. The reason is that more slums the builders get to redevelop, more the incentives for him. Everyone from slum dwellers to top leaders of the state are hand in glove as they all benefit from the growth of slums,” said Simpreet Singh of Ghar Banao Ghar Bachao Andolan. Singh added, “We need to do away with the free housing project. When even a cup of tea is charged for in this state, why should housing be given away? Anything that comes for free is not respected and hence there should be a price tag to the houses that are being provided.”

“The figures are self explanatory that the government hasn’t been able to implement its own strategy and rid the city of the slums. It’s high time the government should come up with a new strategy and fulfill its own promise,” said realty expert Ajay Chaturvedi.

Government speaks
Gautam Chaterjee, principal secretary, housing department, Maharashtra, said, “There needs to be brainstorming on the issue to come up with a policy where entire projects aren’t dependent only on developers. The policy also will have to think about inclusion of state government’s own machinery like MHADA for redevelopment of slums that aren’t attracting developers and builders because of various reasons. The dependence of only on outsiders won’t help solve the slum issue completely, and internal machinery will also have to be used.”

Authorities on DRP
Sachin Ahir, state minister for housing, said, “Yes there’s a delay in the project. But now instead of passing the benefits to private developers we will try using MHADA’s own techniques to get the project in line. I won’t say whether appointing Mukesh Mehta is right or wrong, but in today's scenario we have our own mechanism and hence we should use that.” Dinesh Afzalpurkar, who was the head of the committee that suggested DRP, said, “It would be unfair on my part to comment on DRP, because for the last four to five years I haven’t kept any tab on the happenings.” Developer Mukesh Mehta didn’t answer our calls, neither did he respond to SMSes. Similarly, Satish Gavai, vice-president of MHADA and OSD for DRP, also remained unavailable for comment.

The true story of Dharavi.

Start of DRP
October 2003: A task force headed by chief secretary and consisting of 11 government and non-government officials constituted by government to prepare an action plan for transforming Mumbai into a world-class city by 2013.

February 2004: The task force emphasised that its recommendations should be processed on fast track. One such initiative recommended was the development of Dharavi.

February 2004: A proposal of a project management consultant (PMC) Mukesh Mehta for redevelopment of Dharavi was accepted by the government on the recommendation of Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The government appointed the PMC with a consultancy fee of one per cent of the estimated project cost of Rs 5,600 crore. The expenditure on DRP was to be met from the resources of SRA.

Incomplete survey
April 2004: In order to identify the details of the structures on the project area, the work of Plane Table Survey (physical enumeration of land details with structures and slum dwellers) for the project started, but could not be completed.

November 2007: A fresh geographical information system based biometric baseline socio-economic survey was ordered for DRP by the Officer on Special Duty. Even this survey was not completed.

Non-acquisition of private land
September 2008: DRP covers an area of 240.35 hectares of which 57.68 hectares is owned by private parties and needs to be acquired for the project. As the land acquisition process is complicated and time-consuming, the government in September 2008 decided that the developers should do the land acquisition. If the developer fails to acquire the land, it would have to be acquired under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Act 1976 or the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1976 as the case may be. It was decided to exclude 66.60 hectares of land (57.68 hectares private land plus
8.92 hectares of railway land) from DRP with a condition to merge the same in the project at a later date. Even now the process of land acquisition is not complete.

Cancellation of global tenders
June 2007: DRP invited expression of interest from developers and short-listed 19 on the basis of specified selection criteria. At the time of inviting tenders, the basic parameters like eligibility, acquiring of land under private ownership, modification of DCRs for the project etc were not finalised. CAG claims it noticed that these are still pending and owing to non-finalisation of basic parameters of the project, 13 bidders withdrew. Six bidders remained for five sectors in Dharavi.

September 2008: The OSD consulted an expert regarding the tendering process initiated by DRP and the expert found it defective. As DRP was a public-private partnership project (PPP) the invitation should have been a request for proposal (RFP) instead of bids invited by DRP. The various risks such as political risks, the risk of acceptance by slum dwellers, delays in approvals by various bodies like MCGM, trends in real estate market were not analysed by DRP. The bid document didn’t even provide for any risk sharing mitigation. Based on this, the expert suggested rewriting the RPF. However, this advice was not heeded by DRP and the bids were kept alive and cancelled only in May 2011.

May 2011: Government issued an order to award the redevelopment of one sector, i.e. sector V, through MHADA. MHADA has not yet prepared any proposal for this sector.