Dharavi redevelopment: MHADA has rehabilitated 330 slum dwellers

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has begun the process of rehabiliting slum dwellers in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. At present 330 slum dwellers have been provided flats who fall under Sector five of the project.

The entire project has been divided into five sectors where the first four sectors are likely to be developed by the National Builder Construction Company (NBCC) and the fifth by MHADA.

A senior official from Slum Rehabilitation Authority revealed that no final decision has been taken by NBCC for the project work.

“We are yet to receive a final proposal from NBCC who is like- ly to take up the project work from sector one to fourth. We conducted a meeting with them in November and they assured of studying the entire project work,” added the official.

MHADA has already given possession of flats in a new build- ing to at least 330 eligible slum dwellers. There are a total number of 18 buildings under sector 5 which is being looked after MHADA.

“At least 10,000 slum dwellers reside in these 18 buildings. The survey to find out the eligible persons for remaining 7000 slum dwellers is being conducted by deputy collector,” said a senior MHADA official.

The total area of the fifth sector is at least 400 acres and the total area of one to fourth sector is at least 600 acres.

The senior official confir med that the cost for rehabilitating at least 59,000 slum dwellers residing in sector one to four is estimated at Rs 25,000 crore.

The redevelopment project of Asia’s second largest slum has been in the pipeline since 2004.