Mumbai: Residents of nearly 7 slum settlements in Sector 6, Dharavi, have been issued a notice to vacate before the monsoon or before the next academic year begins. Sector 6 is on Matunga railway land, where rehabilitation buildings under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) are to be constructed.Officials from DRP, which is part of the special purpose vehicle, said timely cooperation will allow rehabilitation construction to begin without delays and help avoid inconvenience to people living in the surrounding areas. Officials said notices have been issued to around 3,500 households to vacate. The land vacated will be used to construct 10 rehab buildings to house 11,000 families. Baburao Mane, convenor, Dharavi Bachao Andolan, said there is an “atmosphere of fear”. “We were promised it would be key to key and people will move straight from current homes into new flats. Now they (DRP officials) are making all kinds of promises to chawl committee members, but there is nothing in agreement. No agreement is signed informing people when and where they will be given a flat,” said Mane. He said residents served notices to vacate are being informed they will be given a rent of Rs 30-35,000 for the first 3 months. “But there is silence on what happens thereafter,” he said.Defending the notice, DRP officials said the railway land was brought under the Dharavi notified area on the assumption that it would be available as vacant land where rehabilitation construction could begin. “Since the railway land also has slum dwellers, there is no alternative but to ask residents to vacate so construction can start,” said DRP officials. Mane said Sector 6 has around 22,000 households and the majority are either ineligible or no decision has been taken on their eligibility. “Over 200 mohalla committees, mandal representatives, have come together and we will hold a huge morcha in the coming days against redevelopment,” he said.
