Mumbai: Kumbharwada and other such areas in Dharavi are part of the Dharavi Notified Area (DNA) and will be redeveloped, said SVR Srinivas, CEO of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), recently.
Srinivas said that while the vacant land tenancy (VLT) scheme for Dharavi was cancelled with the establishment of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, residents on these plots will not be left out of the redevelopment scheme.
Owners of the VLT plots will also be adequately protected under the redevelopment plan. The purpose of establishing VLT was to protect vacant lands from encroachment and reclaim them as needed. It is estimated that there are several VLT plots in the city, mostly located in Parel, Dadar, Mahim and Sion.
VLTs in Dharavi were automatically cancelled upon the establishment of the DRP/SRA as a govt entity. The clause states: “Any land or part of land with slums on vacant lands created by the Mumbai municipal corporation (BMC) or the municipal commissioner for public purposes will automatically be cancelled when submitted for approval to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project and SRA’s DRP department.”
“We are receiving unprecedented support from Dharavi residents during the survey process, and I am confident that former ‘VLT’ owners will also soon participate in this ongoing process,” said Srinivas.
He invited other private landowners, such as those in Koliwada and private societies within the DNA, to join the redevelopment initiative. “There are some privately owned areas in Dharavi, and I would like to invite them to join us and be part of the world’s largest urban renewal project,” he said.