Dharavi Redevelopment Rouses Criticism Master Plan Reveals More than 70,000 New Units

 India's most ambitious Urban Regeneration project—the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan—has sailed into troubled waters One More Time. The latest release of the master plan, which vows to provide more than 70,000 new dwellings, has sparked a firestorm of public resistance and Local Demonstrations, and political controversies. While the government is hailing it like a makeover of Asia's biggest slum into a world-class Urban District, opponents are raising alarm bells about displacement, transparency, gentrification, and loss of livelihood.

A Vision Decades in the Making

Over a million people live in Dharavi, a 600-acre community nestled in away in the Center of Mumbai. For decades, it has been Characterized by a large population, unauthorized housing, and a robust unorganized economy with a Range of leather products, textiles, pottery, and recycling units.

The concept of redeveloping Dharavi is not new. Subsequent governments have proposed several schemes since the 1990s, but bureaucratic foot-dragging, political bickering, and convoluted land titles put a hold on implementation. In 2018, the Maharashtra government tried to restart the project, and in 2022, the Adani Group bagged the redevelopment contract on a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model.

With the 2025 master plan now out, the stakes have never been Greater.

Within the 70,000-Unit Master Plan

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) would Construct more than 70,000 housing units for eligible inhabitants in accordance with the most recent master plan. These will be high-rise apartments with contemporary facilities, planned to replace the closely clusterered slum houses.

Major Components of the plan are:

Multi-story Residential complexes for Qualified Slum dwellers

Commercial areas to facilitate micro-enterprises

Public infrastructure improvements: roads, sanitation, water, and transportation

Smart city elements like solar panels, greenbelts, and digital services

Rehabilitation units Constructed First, followed by saleable units to break even

The government has reaffirmed that the project is self-funded, based on a combination of public and private investment, and will be undertaken in phases over 7-10 years.

Backlash from the Ground: Fears of Displacement & Disruption

The promise of contemporary homes has left many Dharavi locals quite dubious.  There are several issues at the heart of the backlash:

1. Uncertainty Around Eligibility

Only those Who is able to Demonstrate residency before 2000 (or 2011 in some cases) are eligible for free rehabilitation. Many long-time residents lack documentation, which could leave thousands excluded or evicted.

2. Livelihood Loss

Dharavi is not merely a Residential complex—it is a Big informal economy.With little space in houses, most worry that the redevelopment will Unbond Housing and employment, killing thousands of micro-enterprises.

"We operate leather workshops from our homes. If we're Relocated to high-rises where we don't get spaces to work, how will we make ends meet?" questioned one resident of Dharavi.

3. Gentrification & Commercial Exploitation

Activists say the scheme puts profits from property ahead of people's well-being, especially with the sale of a large part of new units to Outsiders. It would gentrify the Neighborhood and push original residents both culturally and economically out.

4. Lack of Transparency and Consultation

Most residents report that they were not consulted enough about the scheme. There is a sense growing that things are being decided "for" them instead of "with" them.

Political Responses: A Divided House

The redevelopment has divided the political scene of Maharashtra. The ruling alliance justifies the project like action to revitalize the city and inclusive growth. Maharashtra's Deputy CM announced that "Dharavi residents deserve the dignity of proper housing."

However, Organizations in opposition have provided  The Assembly of the State's problem, accusing the contract given to Adani being non-transparent and the plan strongly pro-corporate. Various civic groups have called for a relook by an independent panel and more protection for citizens.

Experts Weigh In: An Urban Planning Dilemma

Urban planners and social Experts agree the need for redevelopment but warn against a top-down approach. According to Dr. Shalini Mahajan, a Metropolitan Dynamics lecturer at TISS:

“Dharavi’s informal economy contributes over $1 billion annually. Any redevelopment must preserve this ecosystem while improving living conditions.”

Some experts advocate for in-situ redevelopment that retains community networks, rather than resettling people in vertical high-rises that disrupt social cohesion.

Global Eyes on Dharavi

The Dharavi project is being Observed Closely on the international front. Given Mumbai's aspirations to become an international financial capital, the rebirth of its most renowned slum will be a metaphor for Urban inclusion or exclusion.

Media outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times have Earlier covered Dharavi’s distinct Urban Life, and many foreign NGOs have worked in the Space. The unfolding project will test India’s ability to balance growth with human dignity, especially in an election-sensitive environment.

What’s Next?

Despite the objections, work is expected to start by the end of 2025.

The Officials insist they would begin with pilot blocks and increase functioning slowly.Meanwhile, residents and groups of activists are organizing legal petitions, protest campaigns, and awareness drives to make their voices heard.

The government has assured to establish grievance redressal platelets in addition to an open allocation system,However, it is unclear if these actions will be Sufficient.

Conclusion: Between Promise and Precarity

Dharavi's reconstruction may either serve a model for inclusive Urban Revitalization or Serve a nightmare of how not to modernize the city. The prospect of 70,000 new homes reads like a Fairy Tale on paper, but for countless residents, it is accompanied by the nightmare of uncertain destinies, lost ways of life, and social disintegration.

Unless the plan is implemented with compassion, openness, and ongoing community involvement, the project will risk distancing the very people it purports to help.