Aerial view of Dharavi.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
For Gautam Adani, Dharavi is not just a business model. Issuing a statement a day after the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) began a survey to collect data from lakhs of informal residents, Mr. Adani said he has witnessed the time when people in this slum were busy weaving their dreams of a life with innumerable difficulties.
“Mumbai is my second home. I do not believe that I am an outsider here. Mumbai has no outsiders because the city welcomes everyone with an open heart. I feel proud and fortunate that I have had the opportunity to lead the redevelopment of Dharavi. Of all the work being done by our group, Dharavi is closest to my heart.”
Mr. Adani said for him, Dharavi is not a project to make money, but an opportunity to give back and be a part of the largest human-centric change ever seen on this earth. “I consider it my responsibility to change the lives of millions of people and build a new Dharavi with respect, security and inclusiveness,” he said in a press statement issued on March 19.
DRPPL is a joint venture between Adani Realty and the Maharashtra government. Recalling his time when he moved to Mumbai, Mr. Adani said, “In the late 70s, like many others from different parts of the country, I too stepped into Mumbai with a dream of doing something big in the diamond business. I have closely seen the life and struggles of people in Dharavi.
Adani Group promises that it will not only provide better living space to the people settling here but will also work to protect and promote small and micro units here. Adani Group intends to turn Mumbai’s Dharavi into a ‘modern city center’,” he said.
He added that rehabilitation of the people can include many things, such as training centres for upskilling, product and service-based common facility centres, research centres, data centres, and MSME help desks.
“Along with gas, water, electricity, sanitation, drainage, health, entertainment facilities, open area for living and a world-class school and hospital can also be developed in this area. This may seem impossible to you because this work has to be done for about 7 lakh people, but Adani Group has expertise in handling big projects. They have also proved this on many occasions,” he said.