Dismay over the repeated delays, and now an inevitable extended delay in election year, on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project need not be all bad news.

For one, a deliberative process is now well on its way; for another, by the time the project actually takes off by the end of 2009 - unless it’s further scuttled after Vidhan Sabha elections - developers hope the recessionary trends may have reversed.

“We have made several changes in the guidelines, so the developers wanted an additional 45 days to prepare their masterplans,” said MHADA vice-president and CEO, Gautam Chatterjee, also officer on special duty for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The 19 consortia still in the fray will now present their masterplans from February 10 to 24. The team of independent experts advising the government on the project will be present through the presentations too.

Also, since key members of the expert committee include some of the original project’s strongest opponents, the prolonged dialogue between them and the government has been effective. “This can only be good for the project,” said a MHADA officer. “Their inputs have included several innovations on the design of the homes for rehabilitation of the slumdwellers, including an idea for community spaces that are partially enclosed and will therefore not consume FSI.” The expert group comprises former bureaucrats like DM Sukthankar as well as architects and urban planners.

Meanwhile, a series of procedures, including acquisition of private properties and the crucial surveys of residents in the slum, will be complete in 2009. “Ninety per cent of the survey is done, with the exception of Koliwada and Kumbharwada,” said Chatterjee.

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