Mumbai: A few thousand Dharavi residents will need to move to transit or rental accommodation to facilitate the Dharavi redevelopment project (DRP), said Mahendra Kalyankar, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO and DRP in-charge, contradicting the earlier promise of key-to-key rehab.He said such relocation can’t overshadow the intent of a smooth transition from slum to rehab homes. “Such decisions are part of any large, complex urban regeneration project. Our immediate priority is to open up construction fronts and begin rehab work at the earliest.” SRA/DRP recently issued eviction notices to 42 residents of Meghwadi-Ganesh Nagar in Sector 1 to allow BMC to lay a sewer line. Those eligible for free housing are being offered Rs 18,000 as rent and upper floors residents Rs 15,000. Another 302 Shatabdi Nagar residents have been shifted to Mhada tenements in Sector 5 in Dharavi. Earlier built as permanent housing, these have now been tagged as transit tenements. Activist Raju Korde of Dharavi Bachao Andolan said three years ago, 300 residents were resettled in these flats and the next batch is being given flats in the same building as rental units. “This must serve as a warning to residents.”
