Dhananjay Bansal Dharavi Makeover Plan. Dharavi: Analysis of the Redevelopment Proposal Prepared by: Dhananjay Bansal. Image Source: Google Images

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1 i Dharavi: Analysis of the Redevelopment Proposal Prepared by: Dhananjay Bansal Image Source: Google Images

2 Abstract Dhananjay Bansal The slums of Dharavi are one of the largest slums in the world. Dharavi lies in the heart of Mumbai and is one of the most densely populated areas around the world. It was declared a slum in 1971 by the Government of Maharashtra and faces acute problems of infrastructure, transportation, water and sanitation. Over the years, numerous efforts have been made to renew and redevelop the area such as the Dharavi Redevelopment Project by the Government of Maharashtra under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. These efforts have faced severe criticism and protest due to their broad nature of looking at the problem while failing to address issues at the local level. Most of these efforts have been partially implemented for the slum. The slums are not a single homogenous area and comprise of intricate microstructures of communities and livelihoods. This research aims to identify the flaws and strengths of the earlier redevelopment proposals. The required plan is one that gives priority to the needs of the residents. The plan should at the same time be an economically viable option for the Government and developers. It tries to resolve the task of the redevelopment of Dharavi through surveys of the livelihood, infrastructure, demography, communities, occupations, migration patterns, income analysis, land ownership, current infrastructure, typologies, amenities and land use. I have suggested changes in execution, financing strategies and policy to give a comprehensive solution to redeveloping Dharavi. It is a plan that caters to the interests of all the stakeholders involved. Introduction The slum of Dharavi is the second largest slum in Asia and the third largest in the world. It is one of the 30 mega-slums in the world. Mumbai has the 2 nd highest population density in the world. The slum of Dharavi has a population density 11 times higher that the rest of Mumbai. The population estimates vary between 300,000 to 1 Million.

3 Spread over 525 Acres, it is located in the middle of the city. The triangular area is bound by railway lines on two sides and the Mahim creek and mangroves on the third. It sits at close proximity from areas with a high value of real estate such as Bandra, Kurla, Bandra-Kurla- Complex(BKC), Dadar, and Matunga, making it a land with potential high return. Dharavi is bustling with businesses of every kind and is an economic powerhouse. The major industries include leather, food processing, textile and tailoring, pottery, recycling and some surprising ones such as kite making, printing, jewelery and even surgical threads. Much of the business in Dharavi is unregistered and an estimate pegs the turnover amount at about 15 to 20 billion Indian Rupees(INR) every year. Research Methodology Primary Research The primary research involves interviews with officials from authorities responsible for redevelopments such as Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) along with residents, shop owners, businessmen working in Dharavi, and the land developers. Secondary Research The secondary research involves the collection of data from books on the subject, research papers, and sources from the internet. Investigation To create policies for Dharavi, the historical, religious and occupational composition along with transport and building typology need to be analyzed. The demographic studies undertaken incorporate population composition, sex ratio, income analysis, migration pattern, and distribution of religions and years of residence in Dharavi. This helps in generating a persona of a typical resident in each sector, thus, enabling the generation of better decisions when formulating the proposal.

4 In 2004, the Government of Maharashtra accepted the proposal for the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan. The plan was to divide the area of Dharavi into 5 sectors and various national and international bidders would be invited to develop in these sectors. The aim was to provide free housing and infrastructure to the slum dwellers. Concessions would be given on the built up area to the bidders to pay for the project. The developers would have to pay a premium to the government for additional incentive Floor Space Index (FSI). Higher FSIs contributes to higher urban densities, thereby converting these low-rise slums into high-rise podium style typologies (Ground+12 and higher). The high-rise developments do not take into account the need of the existing businesses, the religious and community divides and the other social divides. There were many objections to the SRA proposal. There was a lot of resistance from the residents. This resentment against the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan (DRP) was particularly noticed on 18th June 2007, on the Black Flag Day when they marched on the streets. The discontentment was due to the plans lack of inclusion of the people of Dharavi in the planning process. It was feared that livelihoods of thousands of people would be lost as per the SRA plans then. This agitation led to suspension of the plan. This resistance coupled with the financial crisis in 2008 also deterred a number of national and international bidders. The Dharavi Redevelopment Plan is back on the drawing board with the new Chief Minister offering sq. ft. housing for the slum dwellers. Proposed Solution The area of Dharavi is at the center of valuable real estate. It would be a good idea to capitalize on the infrastructure of these nearby areas like Bandra, Bandra-Kurla-Complex (BKC), Kurla, Dadar and others. Dharavi maps indicate an underlying pattern in the housing land use in Dharavi. This pattern can be used to decide the areas for rehabilitation for the existing residents. A low-rise highdensity network of residences with a typology similar to the existing may be followed. For many of the residents of Dharavi, their current place of residence is also their place of

5 livelihood. It is important for them to retain their existing residences, which can be improved upon by implementing redevelopment and policy changes. The remaining area can be exploited as a sale component with a mix of residential, commercial and amenity spaces. This sale component has a proximity to BKC and Kurla towards the East and Bandra towards the West. It is also adjoining the Mahim and Sion Railway stations. The original financing strategy consisted of selling the majority of the land to developers and rest was to be used for rehabilitation of the original inhabitants. However, this strategy failed to consider the needs of the residents and was primarily focused on the interests of the developers. This was partially implemented through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority proposal. The residents were moved to tall towers, which greatly reduced their means of livelihood. The other financing strategies can be through crowd funding from the original residents or through a Public-Private Partnership. However, slum communities do not have a lot of funds. This approach, although favorable involves huge execution challenges and contingency on the government s part. Many of the residents might not have a bank account and regular payment and collection of the installment might be a roadblock to this approach. For this method to be feasible, more efficient systems are needed. The Public private strategy is a modification of the original Dharavi Redevelopment Plan proposal. Contrary to the original proposal, the government may release only as much land as needed to finance the rehabilitation and the strengthening of roads and infrastructure. The residences may be given to the original residents with no monetary cost along with remuneration for the period of relocation in the transit camps. Land parcels can be opened up to developers with an additional Floor Space Index to cover the costs of rehabilitation. Dharavi has been declared as a Special Planning Area (SPA) and it is possible to have a separate urban policy. The policy and regulatory changes are aimed at enforcing habitable housing typologies as well as providing an incentive to the residents for development. A separate building construction regulations must be formulated for building in Dharavi. The FSI for Dharavi may be increased to 4 from 1.33, which was the original FSI. The increase in FSI acts as an incentive for developers.

6 A height restriction of 13m (G+3) may be imposed on the development of structures in areas allotted to the commercial and industrial area for rehabilitation of the existing residents. The height restriction is to ensure that the residents are not relocated to towers and lose their livelihoods in the process. The residents may be allowed to build basements of one floor by consuming 0.5 FSI. Any commercial or industrial area with high pollution or posing a serious fire hazard may be shifted on the outskirts of the city. Reimbursing the difference in the ready reckoner amount may compensate the owners. After identifying the transit areas and communities, a project phasing strategy can be formulated. Each phase includes temporary areas for rehabilitating the existing residents or transit areas, the areas that are undergoing redevelopment and the completed areas ready for relocation. Conclusion It can be seen from the study that there does exist a broad level solution to renew Dharavi while at the same time considering the residents, their livelihoods, and communities into consideration. The redevelopment of Dharavi needs a look at the micro level details and a bird s eye view. We need to look at it from the perspective of its residents and that of an outsider. An effective strategy for providing housing to the residents at their current place of stay is of paramount importance because of the intimate relationship between the residents living and work areas. This is an economically viable solution and can be implemented by strategically planning the phases of redevelopment as described in the research. Our aim is to achieve a slum-free Mumbai, through instant action and careful planning, while at the same time being a viable development opportunity. Limitations of the Report

7 The research focuses on a broad level proposal for Dharavi Makeover. The research proposes a solution at a sector and community level. A community level area incorporates residences and occupation areas with similar livelihoods or religions. The research does not go rule by rule written in the proposal. Bibliography Articles "Bandra-Kurla Complex: The Next High-End & Luxury Residential Destination In Mumbai." Home - Cushman & Wakefield. Cushman & Wakefield, Web. 10 Oct < Report.pdf>. Boano, Camillo, and Jr. Hunter. Contested Urbanism in Dharavi: Writing and Projects for the Resilient City. London: Development Planning Unit, Print. Iyer, Lakshmi, John Macomber, and Namrata Arora. "Dharavi - Developing Asia's Largest Slum." Art Durnev Art Durnev Web. 23 Sept < Mehta, Mukesh. "Dharavi Redevelopment Project." Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Web. 18 Sept < "Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation." Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Oxford University Press, Web. 12 Sept < HDR Complete.pdf>. Paul, Aneerudha, and Sheela Patel. Re Dharavi. Rep. Mumbai: Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres, Web. 14 Sept < Pukar Koliwada-Dharavi and AIROOTS. Urban Typhoon Workshop KOLIWADA-DHARAVI. Mumbai: Pukar, PDF. Sharma, Kalpana. Rediscovering Dharavi: Stories from Asia's Largest Slum. New Delhi: Penguin, Print. Journal "Morpeth Family Makes a Difference in Slums of Mumbai." Journallive. 19 Mar Web. 18 Sept < news/health/morpeth-family-makes-difference-slums >. Online Newspaper Dharavi Dreams Back on Drawing Board with Promise of Bigger Houses." The Indian Express. 8 May Web. 21 Sept Rebello, Maleeva. "Sunshine Story: Goods from Dharavi Break Stereotypes." Mid-day 29 Aug. 2015, National News sec. Mid-Day Infomedia Ltd. Web. 30 Aug Tovrov, Daniel. "5 Biggest Slums in the World" International Business Times 9 Dec IBT Media Inc. Web. 1 Aug Websites Akshay. Leather Industries in Dharavi Is the Most Flourished Industry. Digital image. This Is Mumbai Dharavi, a Slum with 665 Million Annual Turnover! My India. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug < millionannual-turnover>. Clarke, Bethany. Men at Work in a in a Plastic Recycling Workshop. Digital image. Dharavi Slum Editorial and Commercial. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug <

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