Mumbai: Dharavi redevelopment breaks ground with railway quarters project

Residents of slum clusters will get bigger, modern homes and high-class amenities. File Pic/Atul Kamble

Kicking off the construction of railway staff quarters, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) debuted on Thursday morning performing a ground-breaking ceremony (bhoomi poojan) at the RPF grounds in Matunga. The pooja was conducted in Sector 6 and marks the beginning of the construction of Railways' staff quarters and offices to be handed over to the government, as mandated in the Dharavi Redevelopment tender documents.

Thursday's ceremony assumes significance as this is the first time that work has begun on the ground. The DRPPL, a joint venture between the state government and the Adani Group, has also moved in the direction envisaged by the Maharashtra government, which is on a mission to make Mumbai a slum-free city by 2030.

Dharavi's redevelopment is crucial not only for the local residents and those having businesses in Dharavi, but also for the entire Mumbai. At least 10 lakh people are set to get bigger, modern homes and high-class amenities that have eluded them for generations. The redevelopment will also benefit scores of small-scale enterprises in Dharavi that have created a thriving informal economy but are forced to live and work in abysmal conditions. A DRPPL source said that Thursday's ceremony was in keeping with the tender conditions and also the first step towards the group's commitment to create a modern Dharavi.