Project faces political heat ahead of BMC election | Mumbai News – Times of India

Mumbai: The Dharavi Redevelopment Project is set to resonate in the forthcoming BMC elections, with residents of Kurla and Mulund firm on opposing the relocation of Dharavi residents to their neighbourhood.Kiran Pailwan, founder of a group named Lokchalwal which is opposing the relocation from Dharavi to Kurla Dairy land, said they are now preparing to launch an agitation and even go to court to prevent the shifting. Activist Sagar Devre, who is leading the opposition to relocate Dharavi residents to Mulund, said from June 9 they will be announcing a new morcha.While Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have questioned govt’s decision to finalise the master plan without publicising it or inviting objections/suggestions, the BJP points out that Housing for All is the party’s commitment. “The Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are misleading residents and hence people are not participating in the survey,” said BJP Mumbai President Ashish Shelar.Shelar said the survey of structures in Dharavi is only a technical matter. “The aim of the project is to transform Mumbai and make it a smart city with access roads, multi-modal transport connectivity, industrial hubs, and large open spaces. BJP is the only sevak of Mumbai, and we have worked for the development of the city, unlike the Sena that has opposed all development works, be it the coastal road, bullet train…” said Shelar.Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad posted on social media, “This isn’t Vikas at all. This is mass eviction and exploitation. The survey is incomplete. How were the land use, rehab, and sale area projections arrived at in the master plan? This was fixed from the start,” she said.