Dharavi Redevelopment Project awarded through "fair, open, internationally competitive bidding process": Adani Group

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 16 : The Adani Group has said that the Dharavi project was awarded to the Adani Group through a fair, open, and internationally competitive bidding process.
"The Dharavi project was awarded to the Adani Group through a fair, open, internationally competitive bidding process. It is important to note that the tender conditions were finalised during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which demitted office at the end of June 2022. The finalised conditions, including the obligations and incentives, which were known to all the bidders, have not been changed for the awardee post the tendering process. Hence, it is wrong to claim that any special benefits have been given to the awardee", said an official statement issued by the Adani Group.
"It is unfortunate that a concerted effort is being made to disseminate misinformation about certain aspects of the project. It is reiterated that all eligible tenement holders will be provided with a key-to-key solution, which means they will move into their new homes in Dharavi itself. As per the tender conditions, even ineligible tenement holders will be provided accommodation under the Rental Housing Policy. The tender provisions also ensure that eligible residential tenements will receive 17% more area than other SRA projects in Mumbai", it said.
The Adani Group further said, "Further, generation and usage of TDR are as per the tender conditions and fully compliant with the relevant laws. Moreover, the resettlement of Dharavikars is not affected by Transferable Development Rights (TDR). Also, the TDR from the project will be managed and monitored transparently through a specially created portal by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the Government of Maharashtra".
"The Government of Maharashtra has entered into a 99 years lease agreement with the Indian Railways and then it will be subleased on 30 years+30 years basis like any other government land in Mumbai to the housing societies. There is no change in this policy for Dharavi Redevelopment Project", it added.
"There is a general consensus, not only in Mumbai and Maharashtra but also across the whole of India, for transforming Dharavi and providing the people of Dharavi better living conditions, adequate hygiene, education and vocational training, healthcare, employment opportunities, essential amenities and a life of dignity. The Dharavi project assumes added significance because many earlier attempts have failed to deliver. It is against this backdrop that the Adani Group has taken up the challenge and the responsibility of transforming Dharavi with all the above facilities.
There is no gain saying the fact that a transformational project like Dharavi needs support from all stakeholders, including from political parties cutting across ideologies and differences. This is a historic opportunity to build a new, state-of-the-art Dharavi that reflects the hopes and aspirations of Dharavikars", the firm further stated.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray led a protest march today over the Dharavi Development Project.
Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray announced a protest march to be launched on December 16 against the Eknath Shinde government's alleged favouritism towards Adani Group in assigning the project to redevelop one of Asia's largest slums, Dharavi.
Thackeray also insisted that residents of Dharavi should receive larger homes, ranging between 400-500 sq ft in the redeveloped structures, rather than the smaller 325 sq ft homes. Additionally, he proposed the creation of a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) bank by the state government, advocating for the direct sale of TDR by the government instead of Adani selling it privately.
Meanwhile, BJP Mumbai unit president and MLA, Ashish Shelar, claimed that the conditions and the tender for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project were prepared during the Uddhav Thackeray government.
"The morcha of UBT Sena means they would derive the budget for Matoshreee-2, the new house they've built, from the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. Neither the people of Mumbai nor Dharavi support it. The conditions of the tender for the development of Dharavi and the tender itself were both prepared under the leadership of the Uddhav Thackeray government," said Ashish Shelar.