The tender given to Adani Group for the Dharavi redevelopment project will be scrapped if the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) comes to power in Maharashtra, said party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday, PTI reported.
Assembly elections in the state are expected to be held in October.
In 2022, the Adani Group emerged as the highest bidder for a project to redevelop the Dharavi slum cluster in Mumbai. The project entails rehabilitating 6.5 lakh slum residents currently living in an area of 2.5 square kilometres.
On Saturday, Thackeray said in a press conference that his party would ensure that the residents of Dharavi and the businesses in the locality are not uprooted, PTI reported.
The Uddhav Sena is part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also includes the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
Thackeray said that those staying in the slum cluster must be provided with houses sized 500 square feet within the locality.
The former chief minister claimed that additional concessions not specified in the contract had been given to the Adani Group for the project.
“We will not give additional concessions,” he said, according to PTI. “We will see what is good for residents of Dharavi and if need arises we will issue a fresh tender.”
Thackeray added: “We will not allow Mumbai to be turned into Adani city.”
The Dharavi redevelopment project is being carried out through a special purpose vehicle, in which the Adani Group holds an 80% stake and the Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde holds the remaining 20%.
Along with the rehabilitation of slum residents, it involves redeveloping buildings and informal tenements as well as developing infrastructure such as water supply and sewage in Dharavi, considered to be among the world’s largest slums.
In November last year, reports claimed that the Maharashtra government had issued a notification altering Mumbai’s Development Control Regulations to allow the use of Transferable Development Rights without an indexation.
Transferable Development Rights, or TDR, is a method by which the development potential of a parcel of land can be separated from it and used elsewhere. This enables a developer to construct buildings above the usual floor space index available for an area.
The Maharashtra government’s notification reportedly gives more value to the Adani Group from the TDR generated from the Dharavi redevelopment project. It also mandates builders in Mumbai to buy the initial 40% of their required TDR from the project, essentially creating an entirely new source of revenue for the Adani Group.
The Congress had alleged at the time that the Maharashtra government awarded the redevelopment project to the Adani Group as a “Diwali gift”.
The Dharavi redevelopment project, however, denied allegations that the state government relaxed norms to favour the Adani Group.
Also read: Why builder-driven ‘slum redevelopment’ won’t change the lives of Mumbai’s poorest residents
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!