Mumbai: Residents of nearly seven slum settlements in Sector 6, Dharavi, have been issued notices to vacate before 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 Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL), which is executing the project, 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 among people. “We were promised it would be key to key and people will move straight from the current homes into the new flats. Now they (DRP) officials are making all kinds of promises to the 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 who have been served notices to vacate are being informed that they will be given a rent of Rs 30-35,000 for the first three months. “But there is silence on what happens thereafter,” said Mane.Defending the notice to vacate, NMDPL officials said the railway land was brought under the Dharavi Notified Area (DNA) 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 NMDPL officials. Mane said Sector 6 has approximately 22,000 households and the majority are either ineligible or no decision has been taken on their eligibility. “There is a huge question mark on their future. Just a few months ago all slum residents between Sion and Matunga on railway land were rehabilitated by Central Railway to make way for the sixth line. Over 200 mohalla committees, mandal representatives, have come together and we will hold a huge morcha in the coming days against the redevelopment,” said Mane.
