Aaditya Thackeray Demands Assurance on Dharavi Redevelopment Housing

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray urged the Maharashtra government to ensure new buildings from the Dharavi Redevelopment Project be allocated to its residents. Speaking at 'Dharavi Bachao Andolan', Thackeray emphasized protecting Dharavi's identity and criticized the redevelopment tender awarded to Gautam Adani.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday called on the Maharashtra government to guarantee that new buildings constructed under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project will be allocated to its residents. He asserted that the government would be unable to displace Dharavi's residents.

Addressing the 'Dharavi Bachao Andolan', Thackeray said, 'You will not be able to remove our Dharavikars from here, and therefore we all (MVA) have come here. I give you the assurance that no matter what the circumstance is we will not let them touch the Dharavikars. Redevelopment is needed but Dharavi's redevelopment is needed...We need this trust from the government that the buildings that will be built here will belong to Dharavikars.'

Previously, in July, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticized the Dharavi redevelopment tender awarded to Gautam Adani, vowing that his party would not allow Mumbai to lose its identity and transform into 'Adani City.' Thackeray emphasized, 'During Manmohan Ji's government, Gift City was coming here, we welcomed it. Modi Ji took Gift City to Gujarat. Now giving Gift City to Gujarat and Adani City to Maharashtra, we will not let this happen. The identity that Mumbai has will remain in Mumbai.'

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRPPL), a joint initiative between the Adani Group and the Government of Maharashtra, announced that eligible residential tenements in Dharavi would receive flats with independent kitchens and toilets, measuring a minimum of 350 square feet. This is 17 percent more space than other slum redevelopment projects in Mumbai.

Previously, informal settlement dwellers in Maharashtra were provided homes measuring 269 square feet. Since 2018, the state government has increased this to between 315 square feet and 322 square feet, in accordance with the minimum area requirements under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for urban poor housing.