Mumbai: United Resistance In Dharavi's Kumbharwada Cracks As Political Pressure Mounts Over Redevelopment

Mumbai: The cracks are beginning to show in what was once being made out as a united resistance in Dharavi’s Kumbharwada. For months, certain persons were offering a brave front against survey activities being conducted as a precursor to the redevelopment of the slum. However, the story is now taking a different turn. An atmosphere of fear is being created by a few politically motivated persons, sources said. mischief-mongers.

A few influential figures, who are powerful businessmen and politically connected, appear to have hijacked the movement, keeping large sections of the Kumbhar community away from their chance at a better life and new homes under the redevelopment project, the sources added.

Last week, several Kumbharwada residents quietly reached out to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) helpline asking for their tenements to be surveyed. “Many of them just want clarity, security, and a roof over their heads. But when DRP officials arrived to begin the work, they were stopped — not once, but twice — by a group of local activists and troublemakers,” a DRP official said.

“On the surface, it looks like protest. But there is constant mischief, fear of backlash, and in some cases, calculated delay tactics by a few who stand to gain by stalling the process. Most of the Kumbhars stay in small hutments,” a Kumbharwada resident said on condition of anonymity.

“As more families start to come forward, it’s evident that the real fight is no longer between the community and the government — it’s within the community itself,” he added.

Another resident from the same community said, “Most families in Kumbharwada, today, are not connected to the pottery business and have moved out of Dharavi. They stay in places like Malad, Borivali and come back to capture possible sales only during the festive season to benefit from bulk orders.”

“But because the government has rolled out this golden scheme, all of them feel if the unrealistic demands can be managed through pressure from government, the vested elements would have more to gain and it will be at the cost of the families who are still staying in Kumbharwada and waiting for redevelopment,” a resident added.

As is the case in most parts of Dharavi, the Kumbharwada community, too, faces the brunt of dirty public toilets. Another resident called it their biggest problem. “We all want redevelopment and new homes for our future generation. Queuing up for toilets and sharing the same seat every day is not what we desire for. But we do not have a choice. Just give us the assurance that we will get new homes, and all of us will come forward for survey and redevelopment. With so much happening over the past year, we are confused what the government is planning for us. Certainly, we do not want to be left out,” the resident said.

The DRP on its part has made it clear that the survey is ending and teams no longer would have to carry out door-to-door visits. “We have covered 90% of Dharavi. A few pockets are remaining where there is still some dilemma/resistance from private landowners and some areas like Kumbharwada and Compound 13. This is a housing for all project and whenever any resident calls the helpline with documents, teams will immediately include it in survey. We are ready. But there must be a deadline for everything,” the DRP official said.

As of Sunday, certain persons were going around coercing the kumbhars of Wadi 5 and other wadis, whose tenements had already been numbered, into signing a form to withdraw from the survey. This pressure tactic clearly indicates that these detractors are not driven by a development agenda, but rather by political motives aimed at keeping the kumbhar community in their present state.

The fate of Kumbharwada hangs in balance if these persons continue to oppose the government survey. As the eligibility survey draws to a close, it remains to be seen if more Kumbharwada residents can break off from the the activists and get their names on the DRP’s survey list.