Aaditya Thackeray Demands Assurance for Dharavi Residents in Redevelopment Project
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 18: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday demanded assurance from the Maharashtra government that the new buildings constructed in Dharavi as part of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project will be allocated to its residents. He also added that the Maharashtra government will not be able to remove Dharavikars from here.
While addressing the ‘Dharavi Bachao Andolan’, Aaditya Thackeray said, “You will not be able to remove our Dharavikars from here, and therefore we all (MVA) have come here. I give you the assurance that no matter what the circumstance is we will not let them touch the Dharavikars. Redevelopment is needed but Dharavi’s redevelopment is needed…We need this trust from the government that the buildings that will be built here will belong to Dharavikars.”
Earlier in July, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had criticized the Dharavi redevelopment tender awarded to Gautam Adani, saying that his party won’t let Mumbai lose its identity and change into ‘Adani City’.
“During Manmohan Ji’s government, Gift City was coming here, we welcomed it. Modi Ji took Gift City to Gujarat. Now giving Gift City to Gujarat and Adani City to Maharashtra, we will not let this happen. The identity that Mumbai has will remain in Mumbai, we will not let it change into Adani City,” he said.
Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRPPL), a joint venture between the Adani Group and the Government of Maharashtra, announced that eligible residential tenements in Dharavi will get flats with independent kitchens and toilets measuring a minimum 350 square feet (sq ft), which is a whopping 17 percent more and the highest among slum redevelopment projects in Mumbai.
Earlier, dwellers of informal settlements in Maharashtra were given houses measuring 269 sq ft. Since 2018, the state government has started giving them homes measuring between 315 sq ft and 322 sq ft, in line with the minimum area mandated under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for houses for the urban poor.
Doubts Revealed
Aaditya Thackeray -: Aaditya Thackeray is a politician from Maharashtra, India. He is a member of the Shiv Sena party and the son of Uddhav Thackeray, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) -: Shiv Sena (UBT) is a political party in Maharashtra, India. UBT stands for Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, indicating the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Maharashtra government -: The Maharashtra government is the governing body of the state of Maharashtra in India. It is responsible for making decisions and laws for the state.
Dharavi -: Dharavi is a large slum area in Mumbai, India. It is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Redevelopment Project -: A redevelopment project is a plan to rebuild and improve an area. In this case, it means making better homes and facilities for the people living in Dharavi.
Gautam Adani -: Gautam Adani is an Indian billionaire and the chairman of the Adani Group, a large business conglomerate in India.
Flats with independent kitchens and toilets -: These are apartments that have their own separate kitchens and bathrooms, which is an improvement over shared facilities in slums.
