87 acres from Railways to put Dharavi revamp on right track

BOOST First township with 52,000 houses and 13,000 commercial units may come up between Matunga and Sion

MUMBAI : In a boost to the state’s ambitious Dharavi redevelopment plan, the railways may give its 87-acre land in central Mumbai for the project. This means, the first township of the project, with 52,000 houses, 13,000 commercial units and a central park, may come up between Matunga and Sion.

The state has sought 242 acres of the Central and Western Railway land between Dharavi and Dadar. Officials said the details of the proposal were discussed in a meeting in Mantralaya last week and CR, WR and state will start a joint survey soon.

Maharashtra housing minister Prakash Mehta said, “The government needs the land to redevelop the entire area. The state government is assured about the possible outcome.”

The Devendra Fadnavis-led government is trying to kickstart the project, stuck since 2004 owing to various reasons, including complex nature of the redevelopment process and decline in real estate market. The government recently invited global tenders for the project.

As part of the proposal, the railways will help develop a township, with buildings up to 24 storeys. The ground structures of the building will be used for commercial purposes. A direct connect between Dharavi and the commercial hub of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), too, has been planned.

Senior officials from the state, CR, WR, civic body and slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) attended the meet. “Currently, there are 36,000 residential units and close to 10,000 commercial units in the area. The discussion on construction will begin after the land survey,” said an official who attended the meeting.

The railway land, on which the development is being planned, has close to 1,200 residential plots, of which most are railway quarters, Matunga railway workshop, railway protection force ground and western railway ground. The railways will also ensure the project doesn’t clash with their existing plans. “A deadline has not been set,” said a senior railway official.

It is not yet clear what the railways will get in return. Also, they don’t have a policy for slum rehabilitation on their land. “The policy will have to be changed before land acquisition,” said a railway board official.

› The government needs the land to redevelop the entire area. The state government is assured about the possible outcome. PRAKASH MEHTA, Maharashtra housing minister