Maharashtra urban development department issued a notification bringing 19.7 hectares of prime railway land under the purview of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority.
Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Asia, is spread over 240 hectares of prime land in the heart of Mumbai and for over two decades there have been multiple unsuccessful efforts to redevelop it. This involves the rehabilitation of more than 60,000 families and 13,000 commercial units set up in 405-sq-ft tenements.
In the recent past efforts to redevelop Dharavi had faltered on account of the 19.7- hectare land which belongs to the railways and is outside the purview of the state government. But in 2019 the state government paid Rs 800 crore to the Indian Railways to buy a total of 47.5 acres of land that includes the 19.7 hectares to be incorporated for Dharavi’s redevelopment.
Bhushan Gagrani, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, said, “We have changed the planning authority for this railway land. Earlier the planning authority was BMC and bringing this under SRA will facilitate the redevelopment faster.” Last year Adani Realty’s bid of Rs 5,069 crore was the highest for the project that is valued at Rs 23,000 crore project.