No Dharavi land being handed over to Adani: Shelar | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: Reports that government land is being handed over to Adani Realty in the guise of redeveloping Dharavi are untrue, state cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar said on Friday.

Not an inch of government land will be handed over to the industrial house, he added.

Shelar was responding during a heated debate in the state assembly, during which Congress MLA Jyoti Gaikwad slammed the government and said it was handing over hundreds of acres to Adani, and arbitrarily terming slum-dwellers opposing the Dharavi redevelopment, as ineligible.

In response, Shelar said the land in Dharavi is owned by the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA), a state-owned company. Of the total land area, 50% belongs to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with other portions owned by the state and central governments, he added.

Of the 430 acres of land being developed, 37% was being earmarked for open spaces such as playgrounds and amusement parks, Shelar said.

The special purpose vehicle, Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited, is undertaking the redevelopment and, per the agreement, 20% of the profits would be given to the state government.

“According to redevelopment norms, landowners whose land is utilised for slum rehabilitation receive compensation equivalent to 25% of the ready reckoner rate. This applies to BMC and government authorities as well. This is the only project which rehabilitates even ineligible residents. The eligible slum-dwellers will be provided houses within Dharavi, while ineligible slum-dwellers will be allocated homes elsewhere in Mumbai,” Shelar said.