Mumbai, (Samajweekly) With his outburst against the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has not only reiterated his strong opposition to improving the lives of millions of Dharavikars who have lived in the hope of a better future, but also to the transformation of Mumbai into a globally-connected city with commercial and industrial premises while keeping its vibrant and unique entrepreneurial culture intact.
This comes at a time when the Maharashtra government believes that projects like the Dharavi redevelopment and a couple of other initiatives will help the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) become a $300 billion economy by 2030, helping the state achieve its ambitious target of becoming a $1 trillion economy.
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project will open up space that will be much bigger than the Bandra Kurla Complex, paving the way for further boosting the development of the realty, MSME, and services sector by creating jobs.
The beginning of the Dharavi redevelopment coincides with the ongoing transport infrastructure projects, including sea links, and Metro rail network of over Rs 3 lakh crore in the MMR which have been put on a fast-track mode.
By running a campaign that all tenements of Dharavi will be replaced, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are bent on gaining some brownie points amid the ongoing election fever.
However, the reality is that the project guarantees a minimum of 350 sq ft homes to all eligible residents, as the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) plans to set a new standard of housing.
Furthermore, those tenements that may not be eligible will be provided housing as per the Maharashtra government’s rental housing scheme and the Pradhan Maitri Awas Yojana, while keeping the well-being of the Dharavikars in mind.
The eligible residential tenements will receive 17 per cent more area than the other slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai.
While Dharavi is branded as Asia’s largest slum, which is marketed and projected globally for tourism over poverty, insufficient civic amenities, and low standard of living of the residents, the redevelopment project is aimed at improving the living conditions of the people with a human-centric approach.
Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the residents of Dharavi will be forced to leave by the police is misplaced as the state government and the DRPPL have repeatedly denied any such move.
Instead, the project assumes added significance because many earlier attempts had failed to deliver. The state government and the DRPPL have declared that Dharavikars will get adequate hygiene, education and vocational training, healthcare, employment opportunities, essential amenities, and a life of dignity apart from their new homes.
Also, Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the small and medium enterprises will be the losers due to the redevelopment is misleading.
All eligible and commercial units will enjoy a five-year holiday in State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) payment to boost and help formalise their businesses.
Dharavi encompasses thousands of industrial and commercial units manufacturing garments and leather items. Many are vendors for large national and international brands sold across the world with turnover estimated to be in millions of dollars.
And they have been waiting for a long time to formalise their businesses to expand and get a fillip, both locally and globally. This will pave the way for Dharavi to be a role model for the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Refuting the allegations levelled by the Congress, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has declared that the government will provide homes to all eligible people during the redevelopment of Dharavi.
