The proposed Dharavi redevelopment is being framed as a multi-decade urban restructuring exercise rather than a conventional housing project, with its backers outlining a 15–20 year roadmap that seeks to reshape one of Asia’s most densely populated informal settlements into an integrated township.
Speaking at a public policy forum in Mumbai, a senior executive from the Adani Group said the Dharavi redevelopment project would unfold in phases, with core construction expected to take about seven years, followed by additional commercial and civic build-outs. The scale is unprecedented: current estimates place Dharavi’s population at around 10 lakh residents, alongside thousands of small-scale industrial and commercial units. Adani Group is leading the special purpose vehicle tasked with executing the redevelopment. The executive described the initiative as a structural reset aimed at improving housing conditions, infrastructure and economic prospects, while retaining the entrepreneurial ecosystem that has historically defined Dharavi. Urban policy experts note that Dharavi’s significance extends beyond its geography. Located between key transport corridors and business districts, the settlement occupies nearly 240 hectares of strategically valuable land in the heart of Mumbai. Any redevelopment effort must therefore reconcile commercial viability with rehabilitation commitments and complex tenancy verification. The executive linked Mumbai’s future growth to infrastructure expansion, pointing to improved intra-city mobility and dual-airport capacity as examples of how connectivity can unlock urban transformation. Analysts agree that transport upgrades including metro lines and arterial road projects will be critical in absorbing the additional density envisioned under the Dharavi redevelopment project.
]Yet the project’s success hinges on social legitimacy. Housing rights advocates argue that transparent eligibility criteria, livelihood protection and phased relocation will determine whether redevelopment delivers genuine upward mobility or merely vertical resettlement. Dharavi’s informal economy from leather workshops to recycling units contributes significantly to Mumbai’s supply chains and must be integrated into any master plan. Planners also emphasise climate resilience. Much of Dharavi is vulnerable to flooding due to low-lying topography and ageing drainage. A comprehensive rebuild offers an opportunity to embed stormwater management, decentralised waste systems and energy-efficient buildings into the new urban fabric interventions aligned with Mumbai’s broader sustainability targets. Described by its proponents as a “city within a city”, the blueprint includes residential towers, retail districts, healthcare facilities and public amenities. However, financing and phasing such a transformation over two decades will require stable regulatory frameworks and sustained political oversight.
For Mumbai, the Dharavi redevelopment project represents both risk and opportunity: a chance to address historic inequities in housing and infrastructure, while testing whether large-scale private-public urban regeneration can be executed without displacing the very communities it seeks to uplift.
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