Mumbai: Residents of Kurla have urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to cancel allotment of the Mother Dairy plot for rehousing Dharavi residents who are found ineligible for rehabilitation within the slum pocket in central Mumbai.
In a letter to the chief minister, the residents, under the banner of Lok Chalwal (People’s Movement), have highlighted the bar on commercial and residential development on the plot as per the Development Control and Promotion Regulation (DCPR), 2034 and said they would pursue legal remedies if the allotment is not cancelled.
“The Supreme Court in MC Mehta v Kamal Nath (1997) ruled that the State, as a trustee of natural resources, must protect them for public use. The allocation of CTS (city title survey) 2 to a private entity for profit-driven redevelopment betrays this fiduciary duty,” says the letter signed by Kiran Pailwan from Lok Chalwal.
The Mother Dairy plot measuring around 50 acres was allocated to Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), the state-owned agency overseeing the makeover of Dharavi, before formalisation of the development agreement on July 9, 2024, the letter states. The allocation also preceded completion of the survey to identify Dharavi residents who would be eligible to rehabilitation within the slum cluster and those who would be settled elsewhere.
“This premature allocation, occurring without fulfilling contractual prerequisites, strongly indicates undue preferential treatment toward a private entity,” says the letter, marked to deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, the chief executive officer of Slum Rehabilitation Authority and other government officials.
The letter further points out that the government has so far not held any public consultation regarding Dharavi’s redevelopment even though it involves altering the land reservation and use in several areas.
“The state’s decision to hand over the plot for the project despite overwhelming public opposition reflects a deliberate subversion of democratic principles and undermines public trust in governance,” the letter states.
As reported by Hindustan Times on March 1, Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL), the Adani group-led special purpose vehicle executing Dharavi’s redevelopment, has been permitted to create free sale housing stock on plots outside of Dharavi where its residents will be resettled. While the Mother Dairy plot in Kurla has also been allocated for the project, plots in five other locations have been earmarked to rehouse ineligible Dharavikars.
