AP Features, May 31st, 2007
One of the world's largest slums, a filthy shantytown in western India, will be razed and replaced with free homes for Mumbai's poor in a multi-billion dollar project by a private developer, officials said Wednesday.
State authorities took out advertisements Wednesday inviting Indian and foreign builders to demolish the tin shanties and garbage-strewn alleys of the Dharavi slum and develop a sprawling township in its place in northern Mumbai.
Outraged local activists say the plan will benefit wealthy developers instead of the poor, leaving many with no place to go.
The project is estimated to cost $2.3 billion and must be completed in seven years, the government advertisement said. The entire project's cost is to be paid by the private developer, who will also get additional land to build housing or commercial properties nearby.
The plan for Dharavi, an area less than half the size of New York's Central Park, calls for apartments to be built for the 57,000 families the government says live there.
However, activists say the actual number of residents is higher than official figures _ more than 1 million people live in the area, according to some estimates _ and that many will be left homeless once construction starts.
The advertisement also called on the developer to build schools, gardens and medical centers and to provide a regular water supply and drainage facilities.
"We are placing ads in many countries as an expression of interest inviting international developers to turn Dharavi into an integrated township," said Swadheen Kshatriya, a top Maharashtra state official. "We are looking for national or international developers with a track record of building big townships."
Local activists and Dharavi residents have threatened to take to the streets to protest of what they call a bonanza for builders. There are concerns the government has not made it clear where residents will live once construction starts, said Jockin Arputham, president of the National Slum Dwellers Association.
According to the plan for the 360-acre area, slum dwellers will be moved into free homes in seven-story buildings. Each of the 57,000 families will be given a free 225-square foot apartment, with an option to buy additional land, officials said.
