Mumbai: Residents from Dharavi, Mulund, and Kurla have united to form the Mumbai Bachao Samiti, a coalition aimed at opposing the government’s decision to allocate public land across various parts of Mumbai for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. On Saturday, representatives from these localities convened in Mulund for an initial meeting to strategise their opposition.
A Mulund resident and activist, highlighted the collective resistance against the government’s plan to relocate Dharavi residents by distributing parcels of land throughout Mumbai. The redevelopment initiative is being executed via a special purpose vehicle established by the government, with Adani Realty as the lead developer.
The government has earmarked over 1,255 acres of land for rehabilitating the “ineligible” residents of Dharavi. Specific parcels include 46.36 acres of the Mulund dumping ground, 18 acres of Octroi Naka land in Mulund, and 21.25 acres of Kurla Dairy land, all of which have met with significant opposition from local residents. The relocation issue was prominent in the recent elections, prompting BJP candidate Mihir Kotecha from the Mumbai North-East parliamentary constituency to publicly oppose the plan and advocate for in-situ rehabilitation of Dharavi residents. Ex-MP denied plans to transfer the BMC dumping ground and Octroi Naka land for the relocation. However, information obtained by Mulund resident indicated that the BMC had, during the peak of the Lok Sabha elections in May, offered five acres of Octroi Naka land for the rehabilitation project. “Dharavi itself spans 600 acres. The residents can be rehabilitated within this area. The public land in Mulund and other locations should be used for amenities that local residents need,” Mulund resident stated. He also mentioned plans to write to CM Eknath Shinde to voice their opposition. A member of the Dharavi Bachao Andolan reiterated the desire of Dharavi residents to remain in their community. “We do not want to move; we want to stay in Dharavi. Our common goal is to resist the government’s plan to allocate land to Adani,” he asserted.
