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Karmayogi

Something to think about - March 2006
Dharavi's basic facts (Concluding Part IV) - By Gaurang Damani

This report on Dharavi was submitted to PM’s Office in 2003-04.

Part I, Part II, Part III of the report are also available.

Past Efforts at Slum Rehabilitation

According to Jane Jacobs (author of Death and Life of great American cities), most efforts of the government have been paternalistic – meaning that of a father telling the child (the slum dwellers) what is best for them. So impossibly profound changes with impossibly superficial means will not succeed. Infact, the slumdwellers have improvised and thrived so far without any assistance, so any new assistance should not stifle the spirit of enterprise that so dominates Dharavi.

a.         History of slums rehab

During the early years of the last century, in the aftermath of the plague epidemics, the first systematic efforts were made to rehabilitate crowded living areas and slums. The City Improvement Trust was set up with this mandate. However as Bombay continued to draw migrants the growth of slums could not be checked even with the development of low-cost housing.

b.         Rediscovering the slums of Dharavi, By Amrita Shah, IE, 19/3/2000 (book review)

To quote some simple but telling instances is for instance,  the significance given to a loft by people who tend to live and run cottage enterprises from their home (some of the structures planned for rehabilitation had impractical, low ceilings), the preference for low storeyed structures in view of frequent water shortages and so on.

c.         Redefining representations, By Sujata Patel, The Hindu, 17/12/2000 (book review)

Housing policies have not been equipped to deal with the processes of migration, settlement, demolitions and displacements with which the mass of underclass live. People have to live, work and survive wherever possible and if no arrangements are made for their work, their homes can and will become a place for work, as it has happened in Dharavi. Any policy on housing has to accept that the first step to mitigate the problem is to provide housing for all. But is this possible in a context where land and housing are part of the market? Can the market provide for anyone who cannot afford to pay high prices?

These housing policies and legislation, invite arbitrariness of bureaucratic decisions and eventual politicisation of the housing question as it does not and cannot address the moot problem: the right to housing. The limitations of the Slum Improvement Scheme and the Slum Redevelopment Scheme that have been implemented together with the 37 crore Rajiv Gandhi Fund for Dharavi, sadly, has benefited only a few who have moved to high rises, merely creating a space for new migrants to settle in this township.

d.         Reasons for failures of past projects (summarized)

• Not a word on employment (for poor) and sources of employment

• Correa committee plan of 1986 envisaged moving out 15,000 families (total 55,000) to accommodate parks. What would happen to their livelihood?

• People might have already incurred a debt to upgrade current house – so might be unwilling to move to a new one

• Usually local women (sometimes a local dada or Mohalla committees or local politician) act as an arbriter of problems. They were not involved in the development process.

• 1995 scheme flats (225 sq. ft. with 9 ft. ceilings) did not have lofts. According to Sheela Patel of SPARC, average person in Dharavi spend Rs 2 lakhs in their lifetime on their houses/ lofts. Ceiling was then raised to 14 ft.

• Un-recognized businesses were not entitled to space in the new plan.

• People wanted ground + 1 floor buildings, due to water problem

• High rises would mean higher maintenance costs

• Bad design and poor construction

• Temporary space given is too small specially for businesses

Proposed New Plan

a.         Dharavi plan divides area into 12 projects , By Renni Abraham

Business Standard, August 15, 2003

A fresh proposal seeking to develop Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, into 12 distinct projects has the builders and developers in Maharashtra drooling. The development plan divides the Dharavi region into a dozen segments, each to be developed at a cost of Rs 450 crore.

According to informed sources, each segment developer stands to gain a minimum of Rs 120 crore in terms of free sale property and transferred development rights (TDR). The 71,000 families housed in this huge slum will get free residential accommodation of 225 square foot each.

Following builders have shown interest with state government to develop one of the 12 segments:

Kalpataru Group; NGO called the Slum Rehabilitation Society run by an Austrian Adolf Staggller; Mukesh Mehta’s Mukon Construction; Hiranandani group and Rahejas.

The development plan is simple and illustrated by sector five that developer Mukesh Mehta plans to redevelop. The region comprises 17 hectares in Dharavi and Mehta expects to build 11,000 homes in all. “Seven thousand of these houses would comprise the free houses for slum dwellers, while the balance 4,000 will be available for the developer to sell in the open market and some TDR would become accruable to him to utilise in other parts of Mumbai city,” Mehta says.

The technology Mehta is employing is Dutch and called tunnel form shuttering technology, originally imported by Voltas International from the Aardings group. This technology allows the creation of four homes in a span of a mere 24 hours.

b.         Master plan will transform Dharavi from greatest slum to hot property

Netscribes / Hetal Sanganee, January 8, 2003
 

About 427 acres of prime property in Asia's largest slum, Dharavi, including both commercial and residential establishments, will soon be undergoing a major transformation. Costing an estimated Rs 56,000 crore, the plan also includes constructing 71,000 housing units for relocating as many as 5 lakh residents of the area. Twelve sectors are to be relocated, costing anywhere between Rs 280 crore and Rs 900 crore each. The redevelopment blueprint has reserved 15 per cent of the space for green patches and chalked out paths for 60-feet arterial roads, 40-feet secondary roads, and 20 feet tertiary roads.

Lessons learnt

• Dharavi has thousands of success stories, so entrepreneurial spirit has to be preserved and encouraged in the new development plan.

• Arrangement in the new plan for all kinds of businesses like dhobi-ghats; plastic recycling etc., to keep the spirit of Dharavi alive.

• If possible, permanent relocation from Dharavi should be avoided.

• Give assurances about water not being a problem in the new high rises

• Housing schemes are successful only if there is genuine participation of the local public. Let people decide which sector they want to be housed in and how the construction of the building should be.

• Local task force to prevent new slums to come up in rehabilitated areas (like parks, wider roads, etc.)

• Assure residents that the new scheme “will” be implemented.

Alternate plan from personal thoughts:

• On existing slum land, build a 2-floor housing bl