In a bid to fast-track the ongoing survey and with the government’s commitment to provide homes for every Dharavikar, survey teams are proactively engaging with upper-floor tenement holders — considered the beneficiaries under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).
Traditionally, upper floor tenements in slums are considered illegal and are excluded from SRA projects. However, according to a Government Resolution (GR) dated October 4, 2024, all upper-floor residential tenement holders in Dharavi residing there as of November 15, 2022, are eligible for rehabilitation under a hire-purchase scheme.
Under this scheme, beneficiaries will receive 300 sqft homes outside Dharavi but within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) at a nominal cost.
Recently, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in assembly that these tenement holders have to pay this cost over 12 years. Ownership of the unit will be transferred after the payment period. Residents may also opt for a lump-sum payment at any point during the 12 years to obtain legal ownership. The rent and unit cost will be determined and collected by the government.
However as per reports it has been alleged that affidavits are being forcefully obtained from ground-floor residents to disqualify them from eligibility. This has sparked concerns and confusion among Dharavi residents.
The Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed to carry out the project. Clarifying the issue, an NMDPL spokesperson said, “Affidavits are being collected strictly in accordance with the GR dated October 4, 2024. These are meant to establish the eligibility of upper-floor residents for rehabilitation outside Dharavi.”
As per the GR, upper-floor residents must furnish, at least, one of the following documents to prove their occupancy: electricity bill, registered sale or rent agreement, Aadhaar card, ration card, passport showing the floor number, or an affidavit certified by the eligible ground-floor resident.
“This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in SRA history, aimed at ensuring every Dharavikar gets a home,” the spokesperson added. “The affidavit is just one of the acceptable documents. However, most upper-floor occupants lack official records to prove their residence, making affidavits a practical alternative as specified in the GR.”
According to DRP tender conditions, it is the Special Purpose Vehicle’s (SPV) responsibility to rehabilitate all qualified ineligible tenement holders outside Dharavi, but within MMR.
As per the latest survey data, nearly one lakh structures have been physically mapped. Of these, approximately 94,500 have been assigned unique identification numbers, around 88,000 have been digitally mapped through LiDAR, and household surveys have been completed for nearly 70,000 tenements.
As per the eligibility criteria for people to get homes Ground-floor residents who settled in Dharavi before January 1, 2000, will be eligible for a 350 sq ft home within Dharavi at no cost. Those who settled between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, will receive a 300 sq ft home outside Dharavi for a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Residents who live in upper-floor structures built before November 15, 2022, and ground-floor tenements constructed between January 1, 2011, and November 15, 2022, will be offered rented accommodations outside Dharavi. These residents will also have the option of a hire-purchase scheme for 300 sq ft homes.
The Dharavi redevelopment project will involve an investment of approximately Rs 2 to 3 lakh crore, including significant development of infrastructure. So far, nearly Rs 4,000 crore has already been pumped into the project.
NMDPL will be responsible for constructing 100 million sq ft for the rehabilitation component of the project. In exchange, the developer will earn the right to build 140 million sq ft for the free-sale component.
The total rehabilitation of residents would cost Rs 25,000 crore. In terms of land, the project has already been allocated around 300 acres like Deonar dumping ground, Aksa land in Malad, Mulund land and Salt pan land in Bhandup and Kanjurmarg, Kurla Dairy land. 47.5 acres of railway land has also been acquired. The entire Dharavi redevelopment project is expected to be completed within seven years. Since it is a complex and large-scale project.
