The long-anticipated redevelopment of Dharavi has been brought back into focus amid Mumbai’s civic election campaign, with confirmation that the project’s foundation stone will be laid after the January 15 polls. The announcement has been made during a political rally in Dharavi, positioning the redevelopment as a significant urban transformation initiative for one of the country’s most densely populated neighbourhoods. Dharavi, often described as one of India’s largest slum clusters, has remained central to Mumbai’s political and urban planning discourse for decades. With civic elections approaching, the redevelopment has emerged as a critical electoral issue, particularly given Dharavi’s recent voting patterns, which have favoured opposition parties in both parliamentary and assembly elections.
It has been conveyed that the redevelopment will be executed by Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited under a structured partnership involving state authorities and statutory bodies. Claims suggesting that the land has been transferred to private corporate control have been formally denied. Instead, it has been asserted that ownership rights will ultimately vest with the residents, positioning the project as participatory rather than extractive in nature.
According to assurances that have been issued, residential buildings constructed under the redevelopment will be equipped with modern amenities, including landscaped areas and recreational spaces. Eligible residents—defined as those occupying structures built before January 1, 2000 and within prescribed height limits—are to be rehabilitated within Dharavi itself. It has also been confirmed that the size of the rehabilitation units has been fixed at 350 square feet, exceeding earlier expectations.
Special attention has been directed toward Dharavi’s economic identity, which includes pottery units, leather workshops, and small-scale food production enterprises. These activities are expected to be relocated within the same area, ensuring continuity of livelihoods. To support this transition, a tax holiday extending up to five years has been proposed for such businesses.
Apprehensions among residents deemed ineligible for standard rehabilitation have also been addressed. It has been stated that housing provisions will be extended to them as well, marking a departure from conventional redevelopment norms. This approach has been justified on humanitarian grounds, with the aim of preventing the emergence of new informal settlements elsewhere in the city.
As campaigning continues across Mumbai, the Dharavi redevelopment has been framed as both an infrastructure initiative and a social stabilisation measure. With promises of improved housing, economic continuity, and inclusive rehabilitation, the project has been positioned as a landmark intervention whose implementation will be closely watched in the months following the civic elections.