MUMBAI: Hundreds of Kurla East residents staged a massive protest against the state govt’s decision to shift tenants of Dharavi to a 21-acre plot in Nehru Nagar. The plot, which originally belonged to Mother Dairy, was handed over to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and subsequently transferred to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).
The land, situated adjacent to the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, has become a flashpoint for local residents who oppose the rehabilitation of non-eligible Dharavi residents in the area.
On Thursday, the city survey office demarcated the plot amid heavy protests, with residents demanding that the space be developed into a green zone or left as open space due to the existing congestion in Kurla.
Last week, similar resistance was seen in Madh-Marve and Malvani, where residents halted the survey of govt land earmarked for Dharavi redevelopment project.
The protest in Kurla was led by local NGO Lok Chalwal, with over 500 residents gathering at the site. Protesters accused local MLA Mangesh Kudalkar and former chief minister Eknath Shinde of backtracking on their promise to develop a botanical garden on the land.
Kiran Pailwan of Lok Chalwal said, “If this redevelopment plan is implemented, the population in the area will increase by approximately 30,000 to 35,000 residents. The project would strain the area’s already inadequate infrastructure.” The protest saw significant participation from women and was supported by MP Varsha Gaikwad and former corporator Pravina Morajkar. Protesters were briefly detained by police. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray acccused the state govt of favouring corporate interests.
