On Thursday, whereas unveiling his celebration’s manifesto for the Maharashtra Meeting elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray promised to scrap the Dharavi redevelopment mission if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition was voted again to energy.
The ruling Mahayuti has labelled Uddhav “anti-development” for his stance.
What’s the Dharavi Redevelopment Mission?
Dharavi, a sprawling city slum within the coronary heart of Mumbai, covers an space of two.39 sq km and is dwelling to an estimated 4 lakh residents, as per the state Slum Rehabilitation Authority, and vital casual industries. The redevelopment mission goals to remodel the dense slum space right into a “trendy city locality” that includes high-rise towers and state-of-the-art infrastructure, whereas relocating its present residents to areas throughout the town.
The mission guarantees that this housing, for each eligible and ineligible slum dwellers, will likely be inside a 10-km radius of Dharavi, with further land parcels put aside.
The plan has been within the works for over 20 years, with the Maharashtra authorities handing over the mission in November 2022 to Adani Realty, whose Rs 5,069 crore provide outbid the DLF group’s proposal of Rs 2,025 crore.
Whereas the general price of the mission is predicted to exceed Rs 20,000 crore, Adani Realty’s greater preliminary funding was a key issue within the tender award.
How did the mission come to be awarded to Adani Realty?
The redevelopment mission was first proposed by the BJP-(united) Shiv Sena authorities in 1999, however remained stalled for years resulting from delays and adjustments within the scope of the mission. The mission gained momentum once more in 2016 underneath a brand new BJP-Sena authorities, led by Devendra Fadnavis, and in November 2018, it permitted a revised mannequin for Dharavi’s redevelopment.
In January 2019, Dubai-based Seclink Applied sciences Company was chosen because the profitable bidder, however the tender was not awarded resulting from objections over the inclusion of some railway land, which was essential to the redevelopment plans.
An MVA authorities led by Uddhav got here to energy later that 12 months and, in October 2019, it cancelled the tender, citing delays within the switch of railway land.
However then in June 2022, the MVA authorities fell and was changed with a BJP-Eknath Shinde Sena authorities. Inside months, recent tenders had been issued concerning the Dharavi Redevelopment Mission, and Adani Realty received the bid.
What are the MVA’s objections to the tendering course of?
The Sena (UBT), together with different members of the Opposition MVA, have alleged that the mission’s situations had been intentionally designed and the phrases of the tender modified to favour the Gautam Adani-led Adani Realty, together with the allocation of further land, a Items and Companies Tax (GST) waiver, waivers on the Switch of Growth Rights (TDR), and concessions and reductions in premium cost.
Whereas Uddhav has mentioned his celebration won’t permit the state authorities to “present Mumbai to Adani”, the Congress’s Varsha Gaikwad has referred to as the mission “Asia’s greatest building rip-off” and claimed Adani stands to achieve Rs 1 lakh crore from it. The allegations align with the Congress’s sustained marketing campaign that the Adani Group has been a beneficiary of the Modi authorities’s largesse.
What are the opposite issues concerning the mission?
One of many main factors of rivalry concerning the redevelopment is the huge land allocation. Whereas the redevelopment is marketed as a change of Dharavi itself, the Mahayuti authorities has additionally allotted to Adani Realty over 540 acres of land throughout Mumbai to rehabilitate residents.
Each Opposition leaders and environmental activists have raised issues over this. Aaditya Thackeray, a former state minister and Uddhav’s son, has accused the federal government of handing over priceless land, whereas environmentalists have mentioned residents are being moved to “hazardous” websites like dumping grounds and salt pans.
Aaditya has additionally mentioned the federal government’s proposed incentives, comparable to waivers on the TDRs and premium expenses, profit Adani Realty excessively, and vowed to scrap these “add-on” incentives if his celebration returns to energy. “We’ll make sure that each Dharavi resident will get a house inside Dharavi, and never in far-flung areas of Mumbai, removed from their unique livelihoods,” he mentioned.
Officers have claimed the land allocations are meant for presidency use and never for direct switch to Adani Realty.
How has the ruling Mahayuti reacted to the Sena (UBT) manifesto?
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has mentioned that the MVA doesn’t know something “besides placing a keep on tasks and discontinuing them”. “What else can we count on from the MVA? One-two lakh individuals keep in poor situations in Dharavi, whereas these leaders keep in massive homes.”
Shinde has additionally challenged the MVA to speak about its growth credentials. “They’re solely copying the schemes we’ve got introduced. They’re liars and the general public won’t imagine them,” he mentioned.
Shinde Sena chief and former Congress MP Milind Deora has additionally referred to as the Sena (UBT)’s Dharavi promise “speed-breaker politics”, pushed by “private ego”.
Final December, after Uddhav led a protest march towards the Dharavi mission, Deputy CM Fadnavis had labelled him “anti-development” and mentioned he was attempting to stop poor individuals from getting housing. BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar has requested why having supported the mission when he was the CM, Uddhav had hit the streets now.
What are the political stakes concerned?
The Dharavi Meeting seat is a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency and was received in 2019 by the Congress’s Mumbai chief Varsha Gaikwad, who was elected to the Lok Sabha this 12 months.
Dharavi falls underneath the Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha seat, which was received this time by the Sena (UBT) towards the Shinde Sena’s sitting MP. The Sena (UBT) was dominant throughout the constituency, profitable 4 of the six Meeting segments, together with Dharavi.
Within the Meeting polls, Jyoti Gaikwad, the sister of Varsha, a three-time MLA, is the Congress candidate towards the Shinde Sena’s Ashish Extra in Dharavi.
