Days after the state government approved the masterplan of Dharavi Slum Redevelopment Project, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday said his party would oppose the project until and unless all residents are guaranteed 500sqft homes in Dharavi and all the residents are declared eligible for free rehabilitation.
Thackeray also demanded that the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Dharavi be granted the same status as Gujarat’s GIFT City, claiming that Mumbai was being sidelined in favour of Gujarat and GIFT city was moved to Gujarat from Mumbai’s BKC.
Addressing a rally in Mulund, Thackeray alleged that the redevelopment plan would lead to large-scale displacement and benefit private players at the expense of long-time Dharavi residents.
“Our party’s stand is very clear.. Every resident of Dharavi must get a 500 sqft house. If all residents are not made eligible, we will not allow them to be moved out of Dharavi,” said Thackeray at the ‘Ladha Aaplya Mumbaicha’ (fight for our Mumbai) campaign organised by the Sena UBT ahead of the BMC elections.
Thackeray added that the current plan recognizes only those who settled before 2000 while many with documents dated after 2011 are likely to be excluded from rehabilitation and free houses in Dharavi.
According to the eligibility criteria, for people to get homes, ground-floor residents who settled in Dharavi before January 1, 2000, will be eligible for a 350sqft home within Dharavi at no cost. Those who settled between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2011, will receive a 300sqft home outside Dharavi at 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 sqft homes.
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At the rally, Thackeray also raised objections to the proposed use of Deonar dumping ground and other land parcels given for the Dharavi redevelopment project.
“The BMC had clearly stated that the land cannot be given unless it is cleaned first. It is not suitable for people to live there,” he said.
He also criticised the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, questioning why the route was designed to benefit Gujarat rather than linking Mumbai to other parts of Maharashtra.
