10 crore sq ft, 1.4 lakh units - A blueprint for revamped Dharavi

The final master plan for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) will be published in the next one month, outlining the proposed land use patterns across 590 acres. The blueprint for the country’s largest-ever housing and commercial redevelopment scheme and demarcation of spaces for social and physical infrastructure will be the final step before the rehabilitation of slum residents begins.Only 35-40% of the land mass will be used for construction in a zone where the current population density is 2.2 lakh per sq km (as against the average 23,000 per sq km for the rest of the city).The estimated population of the area, including a sizeable floating migrant section, is roughly 10 lakh. The master plan estimates that there are approximately 1.4 lakh units comprising residential, commercial and industrial spaces. Of these, at least half may be ground-floor units, which will be resettled in the new Dharavi. The rest of the units located on mezzanine, first or second floors of structures to be demolished, will be rehabilitated elsewhere.In all, the project may require an investment of ₹2-3 lakh crore.“The master plan is based on the development plan. No objections/suggestions will be invited once the master plan is unveiled. However, when the detailed layouts are prepared, if there are any changes in the plan, then objections/suggestions will be invited as required under the law,” said SVR Srinivas, DRP CEO and chairman, Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL), speaking to the media on February 27.Floor space indexDRP, a vital infrastructure project, is being developed under Regulations 33 (9A) and 33(10A) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) Development Control and Promotion Regulations, 2034 — and has been sanctioned a Global FSI (floor space index for the entire Dharavi Notified Area, including open spaces such as the Mahim Nature Park where no construction is allowed). Srinivas said NMDPL will not utilise the FSI of the park. The rehabilitation scheme will utilise 10 crore sq ft including land outside Dharavi. The FSI available for free sale (tenements that will be sold in the open market) and to be sold as Transfer of Development Rights (FSI which cannot be utilised in Dharavi but will be put up for sale and can be bought by builders across the city for their projects) is 14 crore sq ft, said Srinivas.While the Dharavi Notified Area is spread over 590 acres, only 35-40% of the land mass will be available for redevelopment. medium118628384TDR notificationThe final notification making it mandatory for builders to first use Dharavi TDR is expected to be issued soon. The TDR will not be marked as slum TDR (TDR is identified from where it originated. The TDR generated from a slum redevelopment project is known as slum TDR). However, the term ‘slum’ is seen as a stigma and builders do not prefer to buy it. Hence it costs less as compared to road or open space TDR.The price of TDR generated from Dharavi will be determined by the ready reckoner rate of the plot on which it is utilised. The TDR will be released in phases as the rehabilitation construction progresses.Once the project begins generating TDR, it will be put on a digital dashboard so that builders can purchase the requisite quota for a project. It will be mandatory for builders to use 40% of Dharavi TDR of their overall TDR requirement, followed by 20% of slum TDR and finally BMC TDR generated from land taken over for roads, drains, open spaces, etc.Survey and eligibilitySo far, the survey of 53,000 units, ie, processing of documents, has been completed and 84,000 structures have been numbered. “It is estimated that there are approximately 1.4 lakh units in Dharavi, which includes ground plus mezzanine, first and second floor. In some cases, there are even higher floors. These include residential, commercial and industrial units,” said Srinivas.Household and commercial units eligible for free housing (existing from the pre-2000 period) will be rehabilitated in Dharavi as well as on 47 acres of railway land which has been taken over. They will be provided 350sq ft tenements. The G/North ward has been assigned the task of ensuring no new illegal constructions come up in Dharavi. NMDPL will also be setting up its own team to tackle this. medium nocaptionhttps://youtu.be/3IqCBjm6ETk?si=Gw5VcNTcwazp7L6WHousing for allThose settled in Dharavi between 2000 and 2011 will be provided alternative homes outside Dharavi for ₹2.5 lakh. Those ineligible for free housing will be provided rental housing. Their tenements will be 300sq ft.Residents of buildings in Matunga Labour Camp, Shahu Nagar, which make up approximately 5,000 tenements, will be resettled within Dharavi.Those who have refused to submit documents for the eligibility survey will be given one last opportunity to do so, said Srinivas. A tenement will also be provided for residents of mezzanine floors provided these are minimum 60ft wide and 6ft high and higher floors.Financing of the projectThe rehabilitation component is expected to cost approximately ₹25,000 crore. Besides, there is the physical and social infrastructure. It is estimated that the project will require an investment of ₹2-3 lakh crore. The lead developer, Adani Group, has so far mobilised ₹2,000 crore in the form of compulsory convertible debentures and sought permission to mobilise another ₹2-3,000 crore.