Dharavi redevelopment snippets

The Maharashtra government has decided to prepare a formal sanction plan of the Rs 5,600-crore Dharavi revamp project and bring it in the public domain. Thereafter, suggestions and objections will be invited.
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Authority has decided to invoke Section 115 (read with 40) of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act to prepare a sanction plan detailing sectors, roads and other amenities planned. “We will then approach the government for a final approval,” said a senior official of the authority.
The idea is to ensure holistic and integrated development of the project, including taking care of the implementation part at the planning stage, said officials. For this purpose, it was also agreed that the project could be, at a later stage, divided into smaller sectors and as many developers appointed for the work. “This will not only speed up work but also mitigate the risk factor the authority may grapple with at a later stage,” said a senior official of the authority. As of now, the state is looking at developing sector 5 of the project, which houses roughly 9,000 slums. It has decided to call fresh tenders to select a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the sector.
Ever since it was approved in 2004, the project has run into several hurdles. Tenders have been called off on three occasions owing to poor response. Recently, a project consultant was served a notice of termination. In this backdrop, officials said it was necessary to ensure no legal loophole was left unattended to.