Quick vital stats on Dharavi

Some vital stats on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. (source)
Area: 535acres; to be developed into five sectors

Ownership: 69% owned by BMC, 10% by state and central governments and balance 21% is private land

Families affected: 50-60,000; each will get one 225sqft tenement as rehabilitation

Industrial units: 4,500. Each will the same 225sqft tenement.

Companies bidding: 26 consortia, i.e. combinations of global players and domestic ones. For eg. Reliance Land + Hines Real Estate, HDIL + Lehman, Runwal Group + Capitaland, etc.

Bid document: Handed out to 101 companies at Rs1lakh/document.

Scrutiny of bids: Under progress, to be completed by Sept-end

Short-listed candidates: To be announced after scrutiny is over. Five developers (consortia as above) who will develop one sector each.

Bid submission: Technical and finance bids by above short-listed candidates to be submitted by October 15, 2007

Bid finalisation: By December 15, 2007

Size of project: Rs9,250crores, or US$2.3billion.

Now, consider this: Dharavi is an entire economy on its own. To replace that with proper real-estate development is not going to be easy. Its one thing to provide free housing to a slum-dweller, but another to replace his daily wage, assuming that's even possible. Unless, politicians and builders get together and with their combined strength move this forward.

Wonder why there are no protests here from any political party over issues like consent of the residents, land acquisition, substitution of income, environmental and infrastructure impact, etc.. No agitations, no protests. Nothing.

Back up. Did you say "Politicians and builders get together"?