After residents, NGOs come out in support of Dharavi redevelopment survey

Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS) After the massive support of Dharavi residents for an ongoing state government survey for the $3 billion redevelopment project, several NGOs working in the world’s largest slum have also pledged their support.

At least eight NGOs and citizen welfare associations met Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) CEO S.V.R. Srinivas, and extended their support to the state-government-led survey currently being conducted in the area.

The NGOs also wrote to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), overseeing the redevelopment project being executed by the Adani Group, extending their support for the survey.

In their letters, NGOs like Global Giving Foundation and All India Police Jan Seva Sangathna asked questions like the period of free maintenance for flats to rehabilitate the Dharavi citizens. The Enlighten Foundation said in its letter that the residents and the commercial premises owners are not against the project or the survey and the survey is "opposed only by a handful of people who are against redevelopment and have vested interests".

The aim of the survey is to collect data from lakhs of residents to help the state government determine their eligibility criteria to aid rehabilitation under the proposed redevelopment project.

The survey, which began on March 18, has completed over 11,000 tenements via door-to-door visits. The Thevar Samajam, which represents the largest Tamil community in Dharavi, said: "We reiterate our support to you and DRP and would like to state that we are a part of the project, redevelopment and would like to be part of the history."

The survey is being spearheaded by the DRP/SRA of the state government along with the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Ltd (DRPPL), a joint venture between the Government of Maharashtra and the Adani Group.

Dharavi’s geographical area is just over 2.39 square km in size. According to the Adani Group, the redevelopment project in Dharavi will not only provide dignity of living to its over one million residents but, at the same time, will build an unmatched ecosystem of sustainable living and innovation in the heart of Mumbai. The government launched the redevelopment of Asia's largest slum to help improve the standard of living of its residents. Under the redevelopment project, the tenement holders will be provided a house of 350 square feet, which is 17 per cent more than any other SRA scheme in Mumbai.

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