The Adani Group has started construction of the massive Dharavi township, one of the largest urban rejuvenation projects in the world, by performing the bhoomi poojan at the 22-acre Matunga railway site in Mumbai this week. The group will spend over $4-5 billion in the initial phase, which is estimated to take about seven years.
Pranav Adani, Director, Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), performed the Bhoomi Poojan at Matunga, marking the start of the construction of the rehabilitation units. The Matunga site will comprise 10 towers with 10,432 rehabilitation apartments and 1,379 commercial and industrial units. Adani Navbharat Developers Private Limited (ANDPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established for the implementation of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), with the Government of Maharashtra and the Adani Group as shareholders, is implementing the mega urban redevelopment project in Mumbai.
It aims to redevelop over 600 acres and provide over 200,000 homes to about one million people residing currently in Dharavi. “Along with the other land banks that we are developing in Dharavi, suburbs and other areas, it will be almost 1,000 acres. Presently, almost one million people are living in Dharavi, and we have to build almost 200,000 houses for them,” Pranav Adani told Fortune India in an exclusive interview.
He clarified that the redevelopment is designed to ensure housing for everyone currently residing in Dharavi and faster execution of the project. “If you have a house in Dharavi, you will get a house. The only distinction criterion is if you are there prior to the year 2000, then you will get the house in situ. And if you are post-2000, you are eligible anywhere in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” he said.
The project will be massive, with investments of about $4-5 billion over 6-7 years in the first phase to redevelop residential and commercial infrastructure, schools, colleges, parks and places of worship, integrating quality housing with essential civic infrastructure. This will include transportation connectivity, water supply, schools, hospitals, electricity, sanitation and digital services. Its approach places equal emphasis on physical infrastructure, community well-being and the sustenance of livelihoods and local enterprise. “It will be a city within the city with all amenities,” said Pranav Adani.
He said plans are being worked out for the second and third phase of development.
Mithi river to be restored
The project will also include restoration of Mithi river. A 3.3-km public riverfront promenade will come up along the Mithi river from the Matunga culvert to the Mithi riverfront. The project will have a pedestrian and cyclist “green spine”, cafes, viewing decks, cultural spaces, native tree plantings and permeable paving. Plans include rejuvenating 40,000 trees within Dharavi and planting nearly 200,000 compensatory trees across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
At Matunga, ANDPL will give eligible residents 350 sq. ft homes under the in-situ rehabilitation scheme. And 10% of the commercial space in each rehabilitation building will be reserved to generate revenue for common infrastructure upkeep. ANDPL will maintain the buildings and shared infrastructure for the first 10 years after handover. Each tower will have 37 to 39 storeys, 10 to 12 passenger elevators and two dedicated fire elevators. Two additional elevators will serve the commercial and industrial units. Amenities will include a kindergarten, community hall, podium gardens, sit-out areas, society offices and places of worship.
The project draws on expertise in design, engineering and urban planning from US-based design firm Sasaki, UK-based engineering consultancy Buro Happold, Mumbai-based StudioPOD, renowned architect Hafeez Contractor, P&T and ARC Studio, along with urban planning experts from Singapore.
The 10 towers will be handed over in three phases to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), under the Government of Maharashtra: the first five by March 2029, the next two by August 2029 and the remaining three by August 2030. At the bhoomi poojan, Aseem Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Maharashtra, was the Guest of Honour. Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, CEO, Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), also attended the event.