Dharavi Redevelopment Project

[TdotTdot]

Thats a good idea.

[qwertyasd]

Originally Posted by mihir1310

there is nothing wrong in it . You dont want to turn a horizontal slum into a vertical one .. Open spaces are a must . So not only stadium , but gardens, promenades MUST be included in the projext

I personally would love to have a City square here a la Trafalgar, Red Square, Tianenmen etc . Since Dharavi is the geographical heart of Mumbai it is the ideal
site for such a place where people can just converge & have a nice time. Or maybe they can place a Huge screen showong live coverage of some sport event ..

very good idea! just dont let any tanks in like in tianenmen...

[mihir1310]

Originally Posted by qwertyasd

very good idea! just dont let any tanks in like in tianenmen...

I shall be more worried about a huge photo of Nehru Gandhi family overlooking the entire square ,than the tanks

[mihir1310]

ok i have a question .. The Dharavi project seems to get an FSI of 4 .. How does it turn out in practical terms.
I mean, if you see BKC , there are only mid-level buildings in there . hardly any high rises in there. Will the Dharavi project be able to have skyscrapers & supertalls in it ??

[IndiansUnite]

Yes skyscrapers can be built in Dharavi. For a supertall, the developers would have to seek a higher FSI.

BKC has midrises because the FSI was limited to a poor 2 until last year. Even after the increase to 4, none of the tenants took benefit of it.

[India101]

I thought a supertall would never be built in Dharavi due to it being located right next to the airport. There was a few problems with that supertall project in Wadala because of the airport and Wadala alot further away from the airport than Dharavi.

[IndiansUnite]

Yes that also comes into play. Getting a NOC from the airport authorities would be quite tough if not impossible.

But as far as height restrictions go, It should be all clear from the MMRDA.

[mihir1310]

hmmmmm but if you look closely Dharavi can be an ideal location for a great skyline cos of its location in the island city & the riverfront

[animesh_cmc]

I don't understand why auth. makes such a fuss about skyscrapers being located near airport. In many foreign cities airports are often located near CBDs.

[sammyk]

Originally Posted by animesh_cmc

I don't understand why auth. makes such a fuss about skyscrapers being located near airport. In many foreign cities airports are often located near CBDs.

It just complicates things. Why complicate flight paths and such when you don't have to? In other cities the skyscrapers may have preceded the airport or the airport was much smaller at the time.

[bhargavsura]

Dharavi remake plan a land grab, says panel

MUMBAI: A committee of experts appointed by the state government to look into the planning and implementation of the Dharavi Redevelopment
Project (DRP) has unequivocally termed the Rs 15,000-crore proposal a “sophisticated land grab and one driven by personal greed’’. The members are considering resigning en masse if their objections go unheeded.

Disappointed that previous letters to chief minister Ashok Chavan have gone unanswered, the ten-member committee on Tuesday wrote an open letter to the CM. The letter says that the offer of ‘pucca’ homes for the slumdwellers of Dharavi comes at a heavy price—the guaranteed loss of livelihoods and the destruction of a unique social fabric.

“More than half of the land released from occupation will be commercially exploited, and significant profits are expected to accrue both to the government and to the developers entrusted with the project. The project is being driven by personal greed rather than the welfare of the residents of Dharavi,’’ says the missive.

The panel comprising former chief secretary D M Sukthankar, housing expert Chandrashekhar Prabhu and town planner Vidyadhar Phatak, among others, has already pointed out flaws in the bidding procedure and expressed reservations about continuing with the present project consultant Mukesh Mehta.

Speaking to TOI, chief minister Chavan said, “I will try and see the committee’s viewpoint but how can I comment on projects or issues that were discussed, crystallised and passed before my tenure? Moreover, the Dharavi project has undergone a transparent bidding process.’’ Asked about the committee’s fears of commercial interests weighing down developmental needs, he said, “Which builder will construct houses for slumdwellers free of cost unless he is offered a commercial component?’’

Consultant Mukesh Mehta said, “Despite the fact that builders were receiving much higher incentives to redevelop Dharavi than they would in any SRA scheme anywhere else in the city, no major builder was willing to come forward for 12 years,’’ he said. “Now they are making a beeline for our township approach which, while denying them additional incentives, makes them install all the requisite infrastructure like roads, water supply and sewerage costing hundreds of crores. They are also being asked to give a maintenance guarantee of 15 years for lifts and external paint. Also, this is the only project in the world where developers must pay a premium to the state government to participate in the project. If the advisory committee still terms it a land grab, then this is a very irresponsible statement.’’

The committee counters that this freeship and the legalisation of the residents’ status comes in exchange for eating into 47% of their original land area, and the destruction of their livelihoods. “As per the present plan, the residents of Dharavi will be jammed into less than half the land they currently occupy while the developers will gain a commercial advantage by selling the rest of the space for residential or office use. This is a sellout to the builders,’’ said Sukthankar. “We had been hoping to drive sense into the state government, but we may be compelled to quit the committee, not in protest but because the purpose of our appointment is not being served.’’

The committee has noted how, over the years, residents from various parts of the city have been made to settle in Dharavi by the government which has “high-handedly’’ denied them the legal occupancy that was rightfully theirs. “Strictly speaking, the land they occupy should be considered as leased to them for a long period, say 99 years, on the terms that would have applied at the time of first occupation of the land,’’ the letter says.

Members are also concerned that the proposed high-rises will snatch the livelihoods of several linguistic communities that live and work in open spaces. “The proximity of residences with workplaces is what makes many of the businesses efficient and competitive. The present plan for redeveloping Dharavi makes no provision for reconstructing these networks,’’ they say.

Pointing out that the population density in Dharavi is already the highest in the world, they warn that squeezing existing residents into a smaller area and adding new occupants will cause further densification.

Source: Times of India

[mihir1310]

Well I'm with the government on this . Sure its going to be a land grab , but what else do you expect considering that Dharavi lies in the heart of the commercial capital of India . I think we must be worried about transparency in this "land grab " by ensuring that the slum dwellers get what they are promised .

The concerns about the social fabric & livehoods are valid, but the committe folks & the entire population must realise that somewhere it has to stop!!!. There is no dignity in living in such squalid conditions . Mumbai has always been a bustling city , & there will always be jobs for everyone.

[dhim100]

The government should rehabilitate the slum population somewhere in the outskirt of Bombay. These people don't own the land nor do they pay income tax or property tax or sales tax, yet they live in the heart of Bombay (of course in a filthy condition). They should develop that area as a world class financial/business district, that way it would ease the traffic congestion through out the city and cut the commute time significantly. Also the government will generate heck a lot of revenue in the form of property tax. In a way these slum dwellers are chocking up the development of the city. They are just burden on the genuine tax payers.

[qwertyasd]

The committee counters that this freeship and the legalisation of the residents’ status comes in exchange for eating into 47% of their original land area, and the destruction of their livelihoods.

There are two problems with this argument.

One, you cant just hand over the property rights to the slum dwellers - what kind of signal are you sending to people? If you illegally occupy govt land, then it becomes yours?

Two, we must reverse the argument and note that the slum dwellers are being given 53% of the land - land that was not theirs to begin with and which they currently legally own 0% of. So, when they are getting 53%, aren't we doing them a favor?

Destruction of Livelihoods - These guys are currently working and living in the same place - Cant they continue doing that in the apartments? I understand that potters are not being shifted currently. Perhaps, their rehab needs to be handled separately.

Also, all this argument about social fabric is bogus - they can maintain the social fabric even in the apartments. And human beings are resilient - they can change their social fabric - it does not have to be associated with living in the slums.

[bhargavsura]

Yes. Very valid points, Qwerty.

[sameersam6]

how the landlord will be benifited in dharavi slum rehabilitation project

[mihir1310]

Originally Posted by sameersam6

we have a land in dharavi approx 30,000.00 sq ft.how we will be benifited in sra scheme....

???

[mihir1310]

Panel questions concept of free housing


Mumbai A day after the state government-appointed committee for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) wrote a strong letter against the manner of implementation of the project, it has challenged the very concept of free housing for slumdwellers.
The ten-member expert committee, comprising retired IAS officials, urban planners, activists and architects, had on Tuesday sent a missive to the CM voicing stiff opposition to the DRP in its present form i.e. getting private developers to construct free homes for slumdwellers in lieu of permission to construct extra flats that the developers can sell in the open market.
Dismissing arguments by authorities that giving incentives to developers has been the standard model followed in most public housing schemes including the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, committee member and former state chief secretary DM Sukhtankar said, “Just because we commit one wrong in the past, it cannot be used to justify all other wrongs. It is a political decision, unique to Mumbai, to impose a FSI of 4 and give away so much land for commercial exploitation by developers, all just to meet the cost of free housing.”

Sukhtankar said the government’s pre-election haste to approve the developers’ plans prompted the committee — that was so long been working closely with the government on the project— to take this drastic step. “We are not saying that self-redevelopment is easy but the state government should test a pilot project, say in a 10-acre slum pocket. All slumdwellers here should be given land on lease and based on a masterplan allowed to take up self-redevelopment with technical and financial assistance from the government in the form of affordable credit,” he said.

mazaak bana rakha hai !!! there is no time for pilot projects now

Under the DRP, about 30 lakh sq mt of built-up space will be used for rehabilitating slumdwellers while another 40 lakh sq mt will be available for developers as the free-for-sale component.

The committee’s vehement opposition to the project has come as a surprise for the authorities, especially as the state government is set to finalise the bidders on July 20. Officials state that they have kept the committee in the loop during each and every meeting with the 14 shortlisted developers. A standardized master plan to bring technical uniformity in the bidding process was also prepared based on guidelines recommended by the expert committee. This plan was presented before the committee in the last meeting of the DRP in May. The minutes of this meeting, released this Tuesday, addresses the very concerns that have now been raised by the committee.

The master plan for the 151-hectare Dharavi presented at the meeting envisages Ground + 14 storey towers for rehabilitation of the locals. These towers would be built over two levels of podiums each 14 feet high used for housing existing commercial establishments at Dharavi.

“Dharavi is an industrial township and we have given economic activity of locals prime importance while planning the project. At present, 23% of Dharavi i.e. about 13,000 hutments comprise commercial establishments and we have introduced the concept of podiums in our revised design keeping their needs in mind,” said Gautam Chatterjee, officer on special duty for the DRP. Chatterjee added that all suggestions by the committee pertaining to transparent procedure, proper survey, infrastructure and livelihood had been woven into the scheme time and again.

[sameersam6]

thanx 4 the reply,yeah tenants will get the flat 225sqft but landlord will be able to get premiun....

[mihir1310]

Originally Posted by sameersam6

thanx 4 the reply,yeah tenants will get the flat 225sqft but landlord will be able to get premiun....

ok , so do you want to know what will you receive as compensation from this scheme, for the land that you own in dharavi ???