Mulund, a suburb in northeast Mumbai, is witnessing an agitation by its residents against the proposed rehabilitation of Dharavi residents.
In February, numerous residents of Mulund formed a silent human chain. They met at Raje Sambhaji Maidan in Mulund to protest against two projects that accommodated project-affected persons (PAPS) and Dharavi residents in Mulund.
The residents worry that these projects will unreasonably pressurise civic sources and infrastructure in Mulund. The residents also warned that Mulund citizens would boycott the upcoming elections if the government implemented these projects.
Advocate Sagar Devre, convenor of the silent movement, said one of the two projects is a BMC project, which proposes to build 7439 homes for project-affected persons (PAPS) on a small piece of land near Kelkar College, Mulund East, while the other project involves building rental homes for rehabilitation of Dharavi residents.
Mulund East has an approximate population of 1,35,000, with a population density of 8225 people per square kilometre and a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 5.4. There are an additional 35 to 40 thousand people in the area. The project is expected to create an unbearable strain on social and civic infrastructure such as open spaces, hospitals, educational institutions, water supply, and drainage.
Mulund residents believe these projects will degrade the living standard and quality of life of local residents.
Devre has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the two projects.
Meanwhile, residents have also started a "Save Mulund" petition on Change.org, citing issues that would arise should the projects go ahead and resettle Dharavi residents there.
The petitioners also plan on taking up the issue with the Supreme Court and will continue their protests.
Through an order issued on July 13, 2023, the housing department appointed Adani Properties Ltd as a partner in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. It formed the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) as a special-purpose vehicle for implementation.
The Maharashtra government's recent endeavour to redevelop Dharavi isn't its initial effort. Back in 2003-04, the Government of Maharashtra had already set forth plans to transform Dharavi into an integrated planned township. This initiative was formalised through a government resolution dated February 2, 2004, outlining an action plan for the redevelopment of Dharavi.
Dharavi, situated in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is widely recognised as one of the globe's largest slums. Spanning just over 2.39 square kilometres, it accommodates approximately 1,000,000 residents.
With an unparalleled population density of over 277,136/km2, Dharavi is one of the most densely populated regions worldwide. The informal economy in Dharavi is estimated to be around $1 billion.
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