New Delhi: The Delhi government is exploring the possibility of adopting Mumbai’s Dharavi redevelopment model for transforming the capital’s slum clusters, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday.
Addressing concerns over the demolition of informal settlements, Gupta clarified that misinformation was being spread and insisted that safety, not eviction, was the government’s priority. “If you build a house near railway tracks, the Chief Minister won’t be able to save you. If someone dies in an accident, who will take responsibility?” she asked.
Gupta underscored that slum clearance was not a punitive move. “The government’s objective is not to demolish homes but to ensure orderly rehabilitation. We cannot keep offering houses if people refuse to vacate slums,” she added.
Gupta said her administration was considering Mumbai’s Dharavi model for redeveloping Delhi’s 675 slum clusters. The Dharavi project, one of the largest urban redevelopment initiatives in India, is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle formed in partnership between the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group.
The Delhi government is likely to study the financing, relocation, and rehabilitation mechanisms employed in Dharavi to replicate a similar framework for the national capital.
