FCC

Adani's bid to remake Dharavi spurs residents' doubts

2023-08-29

Due to high-profile financial setbacks and claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allies gave Indian billionaire Gautam Adani preferential treatment, residents are worried about his ability to deliver on his promise to rehouse a million people living in one of Asia's largest slums.

Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire" included the Dharavi slum, which is almost three-quarters the size of Central Park in New York. In contrast to India's growth boom, it has open sewers and communal restrooms close to Mumbai's international airport and high-rise buildings housing multinational corporations.

The Maharashtra state government approved Adani's $614 million contract bid to revamp the slum, which is famed for producing leather goods, in July, after years of unsuccessful attempts. As a result, Adani is in charge of the plans to redevelop Dharavi.