Dharavi Redevelopment Project | Report | NIT Hamirpur

DHARAVI REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT ARD- 421- ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN-VIII

by DEVASHISH SHARMA MANISH AGRI UMESH THAKUR (ROLL NO. 16601, 16609, 16634) BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE 2016-2021

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HAMIRPUR (H.P) – 177005, INDIA

Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures 1. Profile of Dharavi 1.1.Introduction 1.2.Location 1.3.Physiography 1.4.Climate 1.5.Population/migration 1.6.Economy/Society 1.7.Infrastructure 1.8.Housing 1.9.Existing Morphology of Slum 1.10. Construction 1.11. Challenges 2. Redevelopment of Dharavi 2.1.Timeline of the project 2.2.Sanctioned Development Plans, 1981-2001 2.3.Dharavi Redevelopment Project, 2004 2.4.Overview of Sectors 2.5.Shortcomings in the Plan 2.6.Opposition to DRP 3. Recommendations 4. References

List of Tables Table 1. Migration Pattern of Dharavi Table 2. Income Analysis (per family per month) Table 3. Sanitary Facility Status Table 4. Water Supply Status Table 5. Electric Power Supply Status Table 6. Floor Area of Houses Table 7. No. of Floors in each house Table 8. List of factors defining Dharavi as a Slum Table 9. Ares of Sectors Table 10. Sector wise typology of slum structures

Table of Figures Figure 1. Arial View of Dharavi, 2018 Figure 2. Dharavi slum cluster encircled in red on the map of Mumbai Figure 3. Proximity from nearby business centres Figure 4. Population Distribution Figure 5. Sanitary Facility Status Figure 6. Water Supply Status Figure 7. Electric Power Supply Status Figure 8. Floor Area of Houses Figure 9. No. of floors in each household Figure 10. Cluster of units forming one block Figure 11. Illustration explaining different occupants and uses Figure 12. Full section of the slums illustrating functions of streets Figure 13. Activities in streets Figure 14. Extensions are added incrementally Figure 15. People washing clothes in open. Uncollected municipal waste.

Figure 16. Land Ownership Plan of Dharavi Figure 17. Components Land use plan Figure 18. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 1.

Figure 19. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 2.

Figure 20. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 3.

Figure 21. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 4.

Figure 22. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 5.

Figure 23. Private properties, either in use or encroached by slums.

Figure 24. Existing SRA Areas Figure 25. Division into 5 Sectors and revised Development plan Figure 26. Proposed Land Use map of Dharavi Figure 27. Proposed Land Use map of Sector I Figure 28. Proposed Land Use map of Sector II Figure 29. Proposed Land Use map of Sector III Figure 30. Proposed Road Network Plan of Dharavi Figure 31. Illustration explaining clusters derived from road network analysis.

Figure 32. Proposed open spaces in Sector IV with institutional buildings attached

1. Profile of Dharavi 1.1.Introduction The metropolis of Mumbai is often called Slumbai or Slumbay with probably the largest number of slum-dwellers in the world (over six million). Dharavi – really an informal township within the metropolis – is one of the world’s 30 mega-slums and Asia’s largest. Spread over 525 acres, it presents a very vibrant mosaic of tens of thousands of small businesses and hundreds of thousands of residents of different religions, castes, languages, provinces, and ethnicities, dependent on one another and the city socially, culturally and economically. Its enterprising residents manufacture garments, leather goods, foods and pottery, besides running a flourishing – and unique – recycling business (KRVIA, 2010). All these dwellers constitute approximately 57,000 families are squeezed into 151 Ha of land.

Fig. 1. Arial View of Dharavi, 2018 Source: Google Maps

The whole area, located between two main suburban railway lines, the Western and the Central Railways, is covered with informal, unplanned, random and sub-standard hutments with very minimum open spaces, narrow roads and other poor-quality infrastructure & amenities (SRA, 2013).

1.2.Location Dharavi is a triangular land in the heart of the city between 19○09’ and 19○03’ North latitudes and 72○84’ and 72○87’ East longitudes. It is served by railway lines on two sides and bounded by the Mahim Creek and its mangroves on the third. The Mahim, Matunga and Sion train

stations mark three corners; the arterial Western Express Highway passes along its northern border (KRVIA, 2010).

Fig. 2. Dharavi slum cluster encircled in red on the map of Mumbai (Source: Slum Rehabilitation Authority)

Dharavi is in the neighbourhood of the important new business district, the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) – a counter-magnet to the old Central Business District (CBD) in south Mumbai (KRVIA, 2010). Nearby districts are shown in figure 3.

Fig. 3. Proximity from nearby business centres Source: KRVIA

1.3.Physiography Dharavi and entire district for that matter, falls under Maharashtra littoral, the micro level division of Coastal Plains and Islands.

1.4.Climate Being in coastal district of Mumbai, the climate of Dharavi is equable. The variations in temperature daily as well as seasonal are not large. The nearest meteorological observatory is located at Colaba, the Southern tip of Mumbai District. It records the climatological indicators region around. The average temperature during the month of January is 19° C whereas in the month of May the mean daily maximum temperature is recorded as 33° C and minimum as 26.5°C. On some days the maximum temperature in May goes above 40°C. Due to the prevailing high humidity the weather during the summer is very oppressive. The afternoon breezes bring some welcome relief from heat. After the withdrawal of monsoon, the temperature rises steadily. However, the night temperature drops gradually. After November the day temperature begins to decrease, it reaches to the lowest in the month of January the coldest month.

1.5.Population/Migration Dharavi is home to around 1,33,563 people (SRA, 2013). In a city where house rents are among the highest in the world, Dharavi provides a cheap and affordable option to people from all over the country (Table 1) who move to Mumbai to earn their living.

Rents here can be as low as 185 rupees per month. As Dharavi is located between Mumbai's two main suburban rail lines, most people find it convenient for work (BBC, 2013).

Fig. 4. Population Distribution.

Source: SRA Table 1. Migration Pattern of Dharavi Region of Migration Value Percentage (%) Maharashtra

9154

20.40

North India

7511

16.74

South India

8148

18.16

North East India

68

0.15

No Data

19993

44.55

Total

44874 Source: SRA

100

1.6.Economy and Society Large number of migrant workers live in production rooms in which they work. The community is highly social in terms of ethnicity, religion, caste, age and gender. Many of the residents are transient with a number of renters and male migrant workers.

Dharavi has a large number of successful small-scale industries that produce embroidered garments, export equality leather goods, pottery, plastic articles. Most of these products are made in tiny manufacturing units spread across the community and are sold in domestics as well as international markets. The annual turnover of business here is estimated to be more than Rs. 4,000 crores a year.

According to the Census of India, 2011, more than 40% of the population of Dharavi earn less than 5000 rupees per month. Detailed analysis is shown in table 2.

Table 2. Income Analysis (per family per month) Class Value Percentage (%) 0-5000

19432

43.30

5000-10000

8730

19.45

10000-15000

3565

7.94

˃15000

1168

2.60

No Data

11979

26.69

Total

44874 Source: Census of India, 2011

100

1.7.Infrastructure Dharavi has severe problems with public health. It is the result of unhygienic ways of living, lack of proper drainage system, municipal waste mismanagement, poor drinking water facilities, compact living conditions, lack of sanitary infrastructure and proper healthcare infrastructure.

Mahim River has become their toilet used for urination and defecation causing the spread of contagious diseases. Furthermore, the open sewers drain to the creek causing a spike in water pollutants, septic conditions, and foul odours (Jacobson, 2007).

Table 3. Sanitary Facility Status

Ownership Individual Public No Data Total

Value 1194 32182 11498 44874

Percentage 2.66 71.72 25.62 100

Source: SRA

Fig. 5. Sanitary Facility Status Source: SRA

Table 4. Water Supply Status

Ownership Individual Public No Data Total Fig. 6. Water Supply Status Source: SRA

Value 6412 17216 21246 44874 Source: SRA

Percentage 14.29 38.37 47.35 100

Similar is the condition with electric power supply. People there still have small cathode ray televisions in their homes, indicating their passion for Bollywood and love for film city.

Table 5. Electric Power Supply Status

Ownership Individual Public No Data Total

Value 6412 17216 21246 44874

Percentage 14.29 38.37 47.35 100

Source: SRA Fig. 7. Electric Power Supply Status Source: SRA

1.8.Housing

Housing is a big issue in Mumbai. Most families live in a single room house of about 15 square metres with many in spaces of no more than 8 square metres for five people (Dovey &Tomlinson, 2011). This space is generally incorporated with a large amount of storage and can function through time cycles where the single space becomes kitchen, dining, living and sleeping in sequence. Statistics show that almost entire houses are below the standard area prescribed by National Building Code (NBC).

Table 6. Floor Area of Houses

Area Class ˂27.85 sq m ˃=27.85 sq m Total

Value 41583 3291 44874

Percentage 92.67 7.33 100

Source: SRA

1.9.Existing Morphology of Slum 1.9.1. Houses

Fig. 8. Floor Area of Houses Source: SRA

Like nearly all informal settlements globally, Dharavi has been formed by a process called as incremental housing or room-by-room accretion. This is largely a practice of self-organization where families house themselves - first in a single room with others added over time. Buildings range from 1-4 floors and the scale of each room varies from about 10- 30 sq. metres with an average of about 15 sq. m. The accretion process is both horizontal and vertical - rows of houses have formed into blocks of up to about 10 connected buildings, generally one room thick.

While all buildings in Dharavi are unregulated, there is a government edict that no building should be more than 2 storeys high. But it is found that about 35% of all buildings are 3 storeys (G+2) and about 10% are 4 storeys (G+3).

Fig. 9. No. of floors in each household Source: SRA Table 7. No. of Floors in each house.

Floor Ground Flood Ground + Terrace Ground +1 Ground +1 + Terrace Ground +2 Ground +2 + Terrace No Data Total

Value 9596 1187 20973 85 280 16 12737 44874

Percentage 21.38 2.65 46.74 0.19 0.62 0.04 28.38 100

Source: SRA

These units in each block are often occupied by different families and for different uses, as illustrated in figure 11. Units in blue are being used for industrial purpose and is occupied by industrial owner, industrial tenant and migrant worker. Green ones are for commercial purpose occupied by commercial owner and tenant. Orange units are for residential purpose occupied by live-in owner and live-in tenant.

1.9.2. Streets Main streets are at least 6-8 metres wide but with an irregular shape that appears to have been produced by the demolitions necessary to provide vehicular access. The small alcoves along

Fig. 10. Cluster of units forming one block Source: Reinvent Dharavi

Fig. 11. Illustration explaining different occupants and uses Source: Annie Harrison, Melbourne School of Design

the edges have generally become pedestrian eddy spaces. These main streets are lined primarily with 2-3 storey buildings with shops or commercial enterprises on the ground floor.

Next are larger laneways, 2-3 metres wide and lined with building entrances on both sides.

Entries are usually set up behind a narrow plinth that serves as flood barrier, entry porch, seat, work platform and storage. Smallest ones are about 0.7 to 2 metres wide, with no entry transition, storage or social life.

Fig. 12. Full section of the slums illustrating functions of streets Source: Annie Harrison, Melbourne School of Design

1.10.

Construction

All construction is single room in rows type. All the buildings are in functional condition, few have served for over 30 years.

Fig. 13. Activities in streets Source: Dovey &Tomlinson, 2012

1.10.1. Materials Ground floors are generally concrete with a ceramic tile or stone finish. Ground and first floor walls are commonly brick or concrete block. Upper floors may be timber framed with metal, plywood or fibre-cement sheeting. Upper floor construction is commonly steel I-beams (spanning 3-4 metres) with concrete or timber flooring. Roofing structures are also steel Ibeams or occasionally small trusses for longer spans. Roof cladding is commonly metal or fibre-cement sheeting and may be covered with tarpaulin sheets for additional waterproofing.

1.10.2. Overhangs Upper floors are generally cantilevered with an overhang of about 500800mm. The cantilever is generally achieved with small steel I-beams.

Fig. 14. Extensions are added incrementally, there may be a variety of materials in a single building.

Source: Dovey &Tomlinson, 2012

1.10.3. Process Almost all construction is micro-scale – one room at a time. Additional levels may be constructed by erecting a working platform. Once the supporting brick walls are constructed, they are topped with either steel girders (in the event another floor is to be added), or metal sheeting to form a roof.

1.11.

Challenges

According to the UN Habitat (2003), Dharavi conforms the definition of a slum and hence falls under Jurisdiction of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Government of India (Dyson, 2012).

But it is different from conventional slums, given its economic terms. Chatterjee (2008, quoted in Iyer et al. 2009: 9) called it “an industrial township rather than just a residential area”. Apte (2009) called it “a self-sustaining village community”.

Table 8. List of factors defining Dharavi as a Slum UN Habitat (2003) definition

Issues in Dharavi

Inadequate access to safe water

Water runs for only three hours per day, and waterborne diseases are common

Estimated that on average there is one toilet per 1,440 people (Kumar Karn & Harada 2002) Majority of homes are semi-permanent Poor structural quality of housing structures with corrugated plastic or AC (asbestos cement) sheet roof (Sharma 2000) Average household of 5–6 people Over-crowding and insecure residential occupying a single-room dwelling (Sharma status 2000) Source: Dyson, 2012

Inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructures

Despite of its capacity to generate economy and sustain itself, Government of Maharashtra and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) believed that it needs to be redeveloped. Following are the reasons behind the thought of Redeveloping Dharavi. 

  

Low capacity of Slums to recover from disaster. Considering the fact that Mumbai is an island city and sea level is rising due to climate change, Dharavi, if flooded again like 2005 floods, will not be able to withstand any disaster.

Environmental impact caused due to lack of basic services, resulting in contamination of soil, air and waterways.

The growth and expansion of Dharavi slum will threaten sustainable urban development at local, national and regional level.

The poor conditions that exist in slums and daily struggles that slum dwellers face continues to be recognized as a global and ethical challenge (Mahabir et al., 2016).

    

Health impacts are caused due to unhygienic conditions and lack of sanitary facilities.

As evident from Covid-19 pandemic situation, such a large informal cluster can act as hotspot or even as a source of epidemic.

Dharavi has become centre of crime and other illegal activities.

Under current condition, it is not possible to do any development in the zone, such is the level of saturation.

It is letting Government of Mumbai from building other infrastructure which may let Mumbai add to its economy via formal sector.

Fig. 15. Top. People washing clothes in open.

Bottom. Uncollected municipal waste Source: Reinvent Dharavi

2. Redevelopment of Dharavi 2.1.Timeline of the Project 1971-74 According to the Maharashtra Slum Areas Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment Act, Dharavi was declared a slum in 1971, and its people provided with taps, toilets and electrical connections. The Sion-Mahim-Link road, the 60 Feet and 90 Feet roads, were all built around this time; sewer and water lines were laid down.

1981 A Development Plan was prepared for the whole city including Dharavi.

1985 When Rajiv Gandhi earmarked Rs. 100 crores for the improvement of infrastructure and housing for the whole city of Bombay, a third of that sum was reserved for Dharavi. The Prime Minister’s Grant Project (PMGP) was initiated in 1987 and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) declared the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for Dharavi (KRVIA, 2010).

1995 In 1995, the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme was launched by the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government, promising free houses to all slum dwellers. (In 1996, Bombay was renamed ‘Mumbai’.) Over 85 new buildings were constructed in Dharavi in the period up to 2004. The majority of TDR (Transferred Development Rights) generated from the project were sold for use outside Dharavi (KRVIA, 2010).

2004 In 2004, the Government of Maharashtra accepted the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan. The plan was to divide Dharavi into five sectors, invite bids from national/ international players and provide free housing for eligible slum dwellers of Dharavi, as also free infrastructure.

Concessions in terms of extra built-up area were to be given to the bidders to pay for the project by exploiting the value of the land (KRVIA, 2010).

2007-11 Bids were invited, but nothing comes of it.

November 2016 Committee of Secretaries (CoS) approved hybrid model of development with community participation.

August 2017 Chief Minister of Maharashtra approved special purpose vehicle (SPV).

April-May 2018 CoS evaluates Special Purpose Vehicle and gave status of special project to DRP.

Fig. 16. Land Ownership Plan of Dharavi. (Source: SRA)

November 2018 E- tenders were invited globally at a base price of Rs. 3,150 crores. There were two successful bidders; India based Adani Infrastructure & Developers Pvt Ltd and UAE based SecLink Technologies Corporation at a bid price of Rs. 4529 crores and Rs. 7,500 crores respectively (Times of India, 2020).

January 2019 Bids were opened, evaluated and SecLink Technologies Corporation looked set to win the bid, but CoS delayed final decision (Times of India, 2020).

February-March 2019 Chief Minister met Railway Minister and Railway Board to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Railway Land Development Authority to hand over 45 acres of land to Dharavi Redevelopment Project, which paid Rs. 800 crores (Times of India, 2020).

June 2019 As railway land component was added after tendering, CoS decided to seek opinion of advocate general before deciding on bids. Advocate general Suggested fresh bids (Times of India, 2020).

January 2020 CoS met to decide on fresh bidding (Times of India, 2020) 2.2.Sanctioned Development plans 1981-2001 Following figures are the maps showing the sanctioned development plans of the then Dharavi.

Earliest plans divided Dharavi into 5 wards (Fig. 18-22). Due to delay in the award of tender, this model was scrapped as Dharavi expanded and saw drastic changes over years.

This plans clearly demarcate the feature developers had planned for the new township. These are enlisted in the figure 17.

Fig. 17. Components Land use plan (Source: KRVIA)

Fig. 18. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 1.

Source: SRA

Fig. 19. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 2.

Source: SRA

Fig. 20. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 3.

Source: SRA

Fig. 21. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 4.

Source: SRA

Fig. 22. Sanctioned Development Plan of G/North Ward, Part 5.

Source: SRA

2.3.Dharavi Redevelopment Project 2004 Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), a Government of Maharashtra undertaking planned to implement the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). Government of Maharashtra (GoM) in the year 2003-04 decided to redevelop Dharavi as an integrated planned township. It was decided to develop it by using land as resource on the basis of Slum Rehabilitation Scheme by dividing it into Sectors/Phases within Sectors and by appointing developers for the same.

Government of Maharashtra, with the intention of redevelopment of the existing eligible slums in Dharavi, and in order to give them better living conditions and infrastructure, constituted the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).

The salient features of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project are as follows:     

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project area is divided into 5 sectors for the purpose of redevelopment (SRA, 2013).

Under Dharavi Redevelopment Project, all eligible slum dwellers/renewal tenements were to be rehabilitated.

New transport systems including new roads, widening of existing roads, pedestrian facilities to allow safe circulation within Dharavi and to external locations.

The project aims at developing condominiums, cooperatives, schools, clinics, parks and shops, residential towers, industrial parks, golf courses, a sports complex and hotels.

Within Dharavi Notified Area, there are many private properties which are already developed or in the process of development and were not included in the redevelopment project. All these properties were excluded from Dharavi Redevelopment Project Area.

Also, land belonging to Railways and Central Government was also excluded (Fig. 23).

Fig. 23. Private properties, either in use or encroached by slums.

Source SRA

 



The idea is to integrate Dharavi with mainstream Mumbai and convert it into a cultural, knowledge and business centre.

The government has opted to treat Dharavi as a special case and has allowed a floor space index (FSI) of 4 FSI is the ratio of total space on all floors of a building to the land area of the plot on which it is constructed. The prevailing FSI in the island city is 1.33.

According to the global e-tender issued by SDA in 2013, addressing the expansion of Dharavi slums, each sector was planned to be developed as separate district and by different developers (Fig. 25).

Fig. 24. Existing SRA Areas Source: SRA

The details relating to the lands of Sector- 1 to 5 are given in the table below: Table 9. Ares of Sectors Description

Sector-1

Sector-2

Sector-3

Sector-4

Sector-5

Total

Gross Area

574653.62

398233.60

471491.01

338592.96

620504.25

2403475.44

Excluded area of Developed Properties

207064.19

63485.61

86188.37

70954.10

358725.12

786417.39

Non-Buildable Area (nalla, watermains, tata pylon)

16924.03

29720.28

1782.76

0.00

0.00

48427.07

Road Area

97884.70

58849.28

96771.52

46144.92

80453.06

380103.48

Developable area

252780.70

246178.43

286748.36

221493.94

181326.07

1188527.50

Non-Buildable amenity Area

20110.31

57695.48

26219.24

21360.00

66255.27

191640.30

Net Plot Area

232670.39

188482.95

260529.12

200133.94

115070.80

996887.20

Source: SRA

Fig. 25. Division into 5 Sectors and revised Development plan Source: KRVIA The developers were to pay a premium to the Government and, in return, were to get incentive Floor Space Index (FSI) so that they could build more commercial and other structures to sell in the open market. A part of the profit was to cross-subsidize the free housing and infrastructure. Given the inflated land prices in the area, developers would have made windfall gains and Government would have earned substantial revenues.

2.4.Overview of Sectors Sectors are further divided into clusters. 5 Sectors contain total 97 clusters, which house around 46132 Residences, 568 mixed use buildings, 11642 commercial/industrial structures, 370 religious structures and 707 amenity structures. Overview of Slum structures/Chawl like Structures surveyed by Mashal in Year 2008 for DRP is shown in Table 10.

Table 10. Sector wise typology of slum structures Sr. No.

No. of Clusters

Residential

Residential/ Industrial/ Commercial Commercial

Religious Structure

Amenity Structures

Total

I

15

6458

24

2638

75

155

9350

II

25

11846

56

2912

97

155

15066

III

17

9947

72

2437

78

185

12719

IV

15

8415

32

1960

68

138

10613

V

20

7800

314

1633

44

70

9861

Out of Sector

5

1666

60

62

8

4

1800

Total

97

46132

558

11642

370

707

59409

Source: Maharashtra Social Housing and Action league

Fig. 26. Proposed Land Use map of Dharavi (Source: SRA)

Fig. 27. Proposed Land Use map of Sector I (Source: SRA)

Fig. 28. Proposed Land Use map of Sector II Source: SRA

Fig. 29. Proposed Land Use map of Sector III (Source: SRA) LEA International Limited, Canada in joint venture with LEA Associates South Asia Private Limited, New Delhi reviewed and analysed the existing systems and proposed new transport systems. Hierarchy or roads are as per the legends in figure .

Fig. 30. Proposed Road Network Plan of Dharavi (Source: SRA)

2.5.Shortcomings in the plan  Governmental effort, developed documentation, analysis and design do not consult local residents and their organizations. Their interests have been ignored.  The special feature of Dharavi is the intricate connection between residence and work-place since about 80% of its population both live and work there (KRVIA, 2010). Buildings of 30 storeys or 50 storeys would not allow the plethora of small businesses and enterprises to survive. If their livelihoods are destroyed, they would prefer to live in slums where they could continue earning a living.  This plan is silent about its mechanism of rehabilitating people.  These plans have not gone through Environmental Impact Assessment.  On the administrative side, no procedures were prescribed for grievance redressal or adjudication of conflicting interests.  It is being discussed that the methods of survey were not appropriate and complete, and hence the data base created by the government is incomplete. The resultant planning calculations have a lot of error and can face serious consequences in future.  Large amount of area is kept for sale (Fig. 26), which could have been used for horizontal expansion of housing.  Due to poor plan on rehabilitation, it is being revised time and again, delaying bidding process and construction.

2.6.Opposition to DRP Amid all this process, this project has always been opposed by the dwellers of Dharavi. It is mostly because, despite the poor conditions of living, the community is self-sustained and fear the development process will push them to worst. Many NGOs, CBOs and other organisations along with residents of Dharavi have successfully kept Private developers from getting the contract of redeveloping Dharavi. Government never got enough cooperation to meet its criterion of 70% people’s consent to take decision on land that belong to inhabitants, ironically illegal inhabitants. Following reasons make people reluctant to development:    

 



The inhabitants of Dharavi have their feet firmly planted in the chawls. They appreciate the potential of improvements to their environment but fear displacement.

They fear that their existing small-scale industries would not be allowed to continue after redevelopment and they would have no place in ne Dharavi (Menon, 2007).

There is a huge gap between the developers and the inhabitants.

Under the project, every family is entitled to receive a 225 sq. ft. flat (Dharavi.org, 2008). Those who already have space more than this doubt they will get the same space (Menon, 2004).

Some believe that 225 sq. ft. is not enough and would not be a profitable deal.

Beyond living, carrying out their enterprises in an apartment in a multi-story building is unfathomable for the locals. Individual apartments do not have outdoor space or roofs.

Some fear that if the area gets developed, they may face unemployment as they are not qualified for other jobs (Menon, 2004).



   



In addition, the eligibility criteria make illegal the people who settled or resided in Dharavi after January 1, 1995. This makes 57,000 families eligible but estimates suggest that there are over 90,000 families (Indian Environment Portal, 2008).

The people are not prepared to trust one more promise to transform their lives without material evidence.

People of Dharavi are balanced in terms of land uses, economic performance, and livelihood. Giving up the land for development will disturb the balance.

Experts say that, in the process of rehabilitating people, government will create more slums.

The issue of Dharavi has also been politicized. Beyond the attention it draws as a vital vote bank, Dharavi has emerged as an important issue in the formal political arena (Perera, 2012).

Dharavi being situated adjacent to Mumbai Central Railway station, aids the commuters from Dharavi to go to their workplaces and return in the evening very effectively. The new rehabilitation centre might make their journey non-feasible.

3. Recommendations 





The desires of residents and not developer profits should be the drivers of redevelopment. Resident/owners have a right to remain in the houses they have built until agreement on the forms and processes is reached in an open and transparent manner.

Break down five sectors into numerous smaller clusters based on existing natural and social boundaries, and take into account the need to protect people’s livelihoods. With the consent of the residents of Dharavi, development of a framework for redevelopment that divides Dharavi into clusters of appropriate size and kind, should be carried out.

For proper spatial planning, strengthening of road network is required. The strategy for it should be not to create any new roads unless necessary, but to strengthen the existing roads by widening them.

Fig. 31. Illustration explaining clusters derived from road network analysis.

Source: KRVIA 

Open spaces remain scattered across Dharavi, which do not have direct road access. These open spaces are generally around religious institutions. Rather than creating new open spaces which would disturb the current scenario, it should be attempted to strengthen and upgrade existing open spaces.

Fig. 32. Proposed open spaces in Sector IV with institutional buildings attached.

Source: KRVIA



The open spaces so produced should be lines with institutional spaces so that open space can act as playground apart from being used during festivals and religious celebrations.

A minimum of 400 square metres of open space should be provided in addition to access



 

      

 

laneways. Such space should ideally be sufficient for children’s lay, weddings and community events - protected from vehicular traffic. It should be shaped and integrated in a manner that inhibits encroachment by new informal housing.

Progress should take place in small stages. Staged projects are easier to insert into the existing fabric with minimal disruption and more likely to gain community involvement and approval.

Existing toilet blocks should be maintained or replaced and space should be included for new community facilities where possible.

The redevelopment should maintain a mix of commercial, residential and industrial space. It should recognize that spatial adaptations between such functions will inevitably continue.

Make sure that people are consulted at every stage of data collection, design, formulation and implementation. This will ensure correct quantitative data.

There should be simple but strong mechanism that guarantees that no one is evicted from Dharavi. This surety may change their perspective towards development.

Under current laws, a lot of people are going to be evicted in case rehabilitation takes place. Legality laws need to be revised.

Prepare a plan for infrastructure and social amenities with an orientation towards pedestrianization, which is separately financed and implemented by public authorities.

Instead of one Authority for the entire slum, enable local sub-sector/cluster authorities to take up redevelopment in a manner they choose but within a set of guidelines.

Tap available government grants and subsidies, and explore arrangements for institutional finance both for infrastructure and for housing.

If it happens that the project does not take place, the government should at least focus on municipal waste management, sanitary facilities, sewer and drainage infrastructure and health care infrastructure immediately.

The demand driven strategy is needed rather than supply driven development strategy.

Relaxation in land and building development regulations and the deregulation of profit limits for developers is needed (Mukhija, 2001).

4. References Apte, P. (2009) Dharavi: India’s Model Slum, Planetizen: Urban Planning, Design and Development Network. Available at http://www.planetizen.com/node/35269 (accessed January 2011).

DHARAVI.ORG (2008) ‘Koliwada’ Dharavi Redevelopment Project. (2013). REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP). Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Government of India.

Dovey, K. G. & Tomlinson, R. H. (2012). Dharavi: Informal Settlement and Slum Upgrading.

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Dyson, P. (2012). Slum tourism: representing and interpreting ‘reality’ in Dharavi, Mumbai. Tourism Geographies, 14(2), 254-274.

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Iyer, L., Macomber, J. & Namrata, A. (2009) Dharavi: Developing Asia Largest Slum (Harvard Business School: India Research Centre).

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Perera, N. (2012, June). Competing Futures: Legibility, Resistance, and the Redevelopment of Dharavi. In Locality as Alternative Values: Resistance, Hybridism, Autonomy, The 4th International Conference on Locality and Humanities, Pusan National University (pp. 21-22).

Sharma, K. (2000) Rediscovering Dharavi: Stories from Asia’s Largest Slum (New Delhi: Penguin).