Dharavi Dumped: Residents Rage Against Relocation
• Fraudster Adani Plan Sparks Dharavi Uproar
• Court Orders Ignored, Dharavi Faces Environmental Injustice
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Network
In blatant disregard of Supreme Court directives, ineligible residents from the Dharavi Redevelopment Project are allegedly being forcibly relocated to environmentally sensitive areas such as the Deonar dumping ground and salt pans in Bhandup, Vikhroli, and Mulund by Adani’s NMDDL company. The apex court had earlier prohibited construction of residential buildings, schools, and hospitals within 100 meters of dumping grounds and also directed protection of salt pans across the country.
Despite these legal safeguards, fraudster Adani’s NMDDL company—backed by the state government—plans to shift thousands of Dharavi residents deemed “ineligible” to highly polluted and ecologically fragile areas. This has sparked massive outrage and resistance among the locals, who have accused the government of betrayal under the guise of redevelopment.
While both central and state governments spend crores on advertisements promoting environmental awareness and pollution control, they now appear complicit in relocating people to toxic zones. “This is not redevelopment. This is a cruel deception. We refuse to leave Mumbai,” said a group of agitated Dharavi residents in protest.
• Social activist and lawyer Adv. Sagar Devre, speaking to Sprouts News, remarked:
“This is a clear violation of environmental and human rights. The salt pans are ecologically sensitive areas, protected under Supreme Court orders. Declaring them ‘safe’ for rehabilitation is illegal and unjust.”
He further criticized the Maharashtra government’s actions, stating that while a related petition is still pending before the Bombay High Court, the state went ahead and issued a political press note through NMDDL, bypassing judicial procedure.
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The residents also allege that the ongoing surveys are riddled with irregularities and were conducted without any community consultation. “First the government promised in-situ rehabilitation within Dharavi. Now they are pushing us to dumping grounds and salt pans? We reject this destructive redevelopment,” said residents in a joint statement to Sprouts News.
The Dharavi Master Plan, which holds the key to the area’s future, remains hidden from public scrutiny. With mounting anger and legal complexities, the Dharavi redevelopment saga is far from over.
