Residents of Dharavi, considered Asias largest slum in Mumbai took to the streets against plans to evict them.
Mumbai, June 19 : Residents of Dharavi, considered Asia's largest slum in Mumbai took to the streets against plans to evict them.
Dharavi, a two square km spread of open sewers, muddy lanes and ramshackle tenements, is home to almost a million people.
Many plans have been made for Dharavi's re-development, the latest being a government move to tear down the slum and re-settle 57,000 families in high-rise housing close to their current residences.
Each family is entitled to 225 square feet of housing, with its own indoor plumbing. In exchange for erecting the free dwellings, private firms can build for-profit housing and commercial space to be sold at market rates which rival real estate prices in New York and Tokyo.
But residents are not happy saying they will not settle for anything less than a 400-square feet apartment.
"We want a 400-square feet accommodation each for all residents of Dharavi who would be replaced. We have been living here for years. They are driving us away to much smaller accommodation. We will settle for nothing less than 400 square-feet flats, that too right here in Dharavi itself," said Varsha Mehta, a resident.
Dharavi has about 5,000 single-room factories and hundreds of cottage industries that together have a turnover of around one billion dollars.
Practically, every home here produces something to sell - incense sticks, poppadoms, pickles, soft toys and candles among the many crafts.
Residents said alternative livelihoods would be hard to find elsewhere and reminded the Congress-led state government that its former leader Rajiv Gandhi started his political career from the very slum.
"There is no politics to this. The demonstrators are actual residents of the slum. Many among them have found for themselves avenues of employment in Dharavi. Big companies have filled up rest of the city, so they are eyeing Dharavi now. Till yesterday it was an eyesore. Rajiv Gandhi once started his political career from here," Shivaji Ganpat, another resident said.
Authorities say under the new plan owners of small business will have to settle for smaller, alternative plots.But National Slum Dwellers Federation says it could be years before the winds of change blow in Dharavi.
ANI