Curation Team
MUMBAI: Survey teams working on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) are collecting affidavits from upper-floor residents to establish eligibility for rehabilitation, as per a govt resolution (GR) dated Oct 4, 2024. The move aims to fast-track verification in cases where occupants lack documentary proof of residence.
Under the GR, all upper-floor tenement holders in Dharavi as of Nov 15, 2022, are eligible for 300 sqft homes outside Dharavi but within Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), through a hire-purchase model. Traditionally, such units were considered illegal and excluded from Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects.
Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL, the special purpose vehicle executing the project, said the affidavit is just one of many documents accepted to prove residence. Others include electricity bill, registered rent or sale agreement, Aadhaar card, ration card, and passport indicating floor number.
“Most upper-floor occupants do not have official records. In such cases, affidavits certified by eligible ground-floor residents serve as a practical alternative,” said an NMDPL spokesperson.
The govt scheme allows eligible residents to pay for the allotted flat over 12 years, after which ownership will be transferred. A lump-sum payment option is also available any time during the period. The govt will determine and collect the unit cost and rent.
The state govt approved allocation of around 256 acres of salt pan land in Mulund, Kanjurmarg, and Bhandup for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.
Adani Properties, awarded Dharavi Rehabilitation Project, has engaged a private agency for the survey. The surveyors are accompanied by Maharashtra Security Force and DRP officials.
