Gautam Adani Dreams of Making Dharavi a State-of-the-art World-class City

Introduction:

Gautam Adani, one of the biggest business tycoons, have elaborate plans to transform the Mumbai Dharavi slum into a world-class city while still preserving its exclusiveness and essence. Adani Property has recently won the bid to finish the Dharavi redevelopment project. The Adani Dharavi project will involve 1 million resettlements and will rehabilitate the businesses that operate in that area.

Adani’s Visions For The Dharavi Slum Area:

Gautam Adani has already shared his visions for the redevelopment of the Dharavi slum. It is one of the biggest slums in Asia and also a bustling neighbourhood in Mumbai. The chairman of the Adani Group talked about his first encounter with the Dharavi slum. It was in 1970 when he was completely mesmerised by the vibrant mix of cultures and languages from all across India. Since then, he has always been deeply interested in the various activities of the slum. In November 2022, Adani Property won the bid to lead the development work on the project. This is going to turn out to be one of the biggest ventures in the infrastructure sector for the Adani Group. It will not only lead the conglomerate to success but will also allow it to make massive progress in its infrastructure business. 

The Challenges That Lie Ahead:

Gautam Adani has already recognised the challenges ahead of him. He mentioned that the project is unique because of its large scale and complexity. The entire plan would involve resettling over a billion people and rehabilitating the diverse businesses that thrive in that area. Gautam Adani also emphasised that the redevelopment project is going to be a human-centric transformation. The entire development plan for the Adani Dharavi project will be executed with the needs and requirements of the people kept in mind. The conglomerate also faced a lot of challenges regarding land acquisition and clearances. However, it never backed off and continued to execute the various operations of the project.

The New Dharavi:

The new Dharavi will reflect Mumbai’s diverse character, unity, spirit, diversity, and determination. It will also possess the timeless essence of the old Dharavi to ensure inclusiveness. Gautam Adani has planned to create an institutionalised mechanism to obtain the views of the Dharavi residents and stakeholders on the redevelopment project. Gautam Adani also expressed its commitment to transforming the slum area. He said that the development project would reflect a self-assured India.

The Project Operations:

As part of the project, a survey will be conducted to identify the eligible residents who will be given new homes. According to reports, the conglomerate has already begun working on the survey. It is in the process of shortlisting the candidates who would be eligible to receive homes as part of this project. The data obtained from the survey will also be submitted to the state government for a detailed analysis. A specially developed app will collect the data.

All informal settlements will be assigned a unique number, and the year the person occupies a given space will determine the location where the person will be rehabilitated. The Adani Group plans to collaborate with the US design firm Sasaki, UK-based consultancy firm Buro Happold, and Indian architect Hafeez Contractor to develop further plans for the project. Each of these homes would have independent kitchens and bathrooms. These homes are aimed at improving the living conditions of the people of Dharavi.

The Impact of the Project:

The redevelopment project will bring about financial stability in Mumbai. The local businesses of the Dharavi region will enjoy an excellent boost. They will be able to enjoy tax-free benefits, including SGST returns. This will encourage people to take up more entrepreneurial ventures. They will no longer have to wait for anyone to find them a job. Instead, they can easily earn themselves a source of living. Other than that, people’s living conditions will be transformed. They will no longer have to spend their lives in the same stressful conditions in which they have been spending their lives over the past few decades.

Conclusion:

The Adani Dharavi project will lead us towards a progressive tomorrow. It will bring about financial stability to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The people’s lives will also change considerably.