Dharavi residents' rehabilitation: Kurla residents protest, land survey postponed

Residents stage a protest against the survey of the dairy land. Pic/Aditi Haralkar

Residents of Kurla East protested on Thursday in Nehru Nagar against the survey of the dairyland intended for the Dharavi Redevelopment project. The State Government Land Record Department planned to survey the 21-acre dairy land in Kurla East. However, the survey has been postponed due to rain.

Nilesh Kamble, a resident of Nehru Nagar said, "The Land Record Department has planned a survey of the dairy land. We have united to oppose this survey, believing the land should remain open. While we are not against the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, we oppose the relocation of Dharavi residents to Kurla. Even the Dharavi residents are against their rehabilitation here and have joined us in our protest. Although the survey has been postponed, we will continue to oppose it whenever it is rescheduled."

The plot that was once used by Mother Dairy at Nehru Nagar, Kurla East. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Maruti Khetmalis another resident of the Nehru Nagar said, "Our demand is to keep this land as an open space for the residents. The population of Nehru Nagar is increasing due to a large redevelopment project, and this growing population requires more open land. Developing this land as a rehabilitation colony will put additional strain on the basic infrastructure of Nehru Nagar, including roads, open spaces, water supply, and sanitation.

Vinod Marewar, another resident, expressed his concern about water logging during the rain. "On Thursday, most roads saw waterlogging. This 21-acre open plot naturally holds rainwater, and developing it would create more problems during the rainy season in Nehru Nagar," Marewar said.

The protest opposite Kurla Mother Dairy. Pic/Aditi Harlankar

Jayshri Kharat, another resident, said, "We are simply demanding that this land remain open. There are also many fully-grown trees here that should be preserved. Our demand is for this land to remain an open space for the public."

Meanwhile, the Land Record Department Kurla office cancelled the survey due to the heavy rain. The next date would be decided later, said an official.

According to documents obtained under the Right to Information Act, the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA) has decided to rehabilitate Dharavi residents who were deemed ineligible for the Dharavi Rehabilitation project outside of Dharavi. The DRA has selected 521 acres of land at various locations across the city, including Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Mankhurd, BKC, and Kurla. This 21-acre dairy land in Kurla is included in the proposed rehabilitation project.

21 acres
Area of land for designated for the project in Kurla

521
Area in acres DRA has earmarked for rehabilitation