Mumbai: Mulund, Dharavi residents unanimously reject govt's Dharavi rehabilitation plan

The Octroi Naka yard in the eastern suburb of Mulund East, the site for the Dharavi project rehabilitation. Pics/Sameer Markande

While residents of Mulund have started opposing the plan to rehabilitate Dharavi residents in Mulund, Dharavi residents, too, are opposed to the plan to move them. The state cabinet has decided to rehabilitate the residents of Dharavi who are not eligible for the Dharavi rehabilitation project in Mulund. The state government has decided to use 64 acres of Mulund to rehabilitate eligible families for the Dharavi rehabilitation project. The state government has demanded the land of Octroi Naka and the Mulund dumping ground from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in order to take the project forward.

‘Will result in congestion'

"We have come to know that this project is not just for Dharavi residents, but residents from other slum pockets will also be rehabilitated here," said Advocate Sagar Devre. "We have come to know that the state government plans to construct 4 lakh houses here. The current population of Mulund East is around 1.5 lakh. If 4 lakh houses are constructed here, the population will increase more than six times," Devre added further. "It will put a tremendous load on the infrastructure of Mulund. We have already written letters to the government authorities and oppose this decision", Devre said.

The Mulund dumping ground is another rehabilitation site

Mayura Banavali, another resident of Mulund East, also opposes the state government's decision. "Already the BMC has decided to develop a PAP colony, and now the state government has decided to rehab Dharavi's residents at Mulund Octroi Naka. Is Mulund a rehabilitation centre for the authorities? Mulund is the entry point of the city. If there is a sudden rise in population, the entry point will be choked. It will affect the whole city. Also, this decision will burden Mulund's infrastructure greatly," said Banavali. "We are sending emails to the authorities and raising our opposition."

Baburao Mane, a member of ‘Save Dharavi,' said, "Why should we move from Dharavi? We are not going to move anywhere. There are around 1 lakh structures in Dharavi. These structures can be rehabilitated in a 350-acre plot with an industrial hub, which is the identity of Dharavi. Why does the government want to sweep Dharavi? We will not move from here." Nasril Haque, another member of Save Dharavi, said, "Our demand is clear: every family should get a house in Dharavi only. We are not going to move from Dharavi."

Letter to BMC and UDD

Families not eligible for the Dharavi redevelopment project will be rehabbed in rental housing in Mulund. The state housing department had written a letter to civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal about handing over the land. However, Chahal has not yet responded to the message. Meanwhile, an official of the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority told mid-day that the process will take time. The Housing Department recently wrote to the Maharashtra Government's Urban Development Department (UDD) and BMC in this regard.

4 Lakh
No of houses to be constructed in Mulund