In the heart of Mumbai lies Dharavi Asia largest slum, a dense labyrinth of humanity where over a million people live and work in crammed, often hazardous conditions. Now, it stands at the brink of a colossal transformation. The man behind it? Gautam Adani.
Navigating Latur Galli in Dharavi is like stepping into another world. In this tightly packed warren of homes and workshops, 58-year-old Basavraj Swami shares a 70-square-foot room with eight family members. There’s barely space to breathe, let alone move. At night, Swami sleeps under the bed, his daughter on top of it, and his elderly mother on a mat. Lofts stacked above serve as sleeping quarters for others. The main door remains shut not for safety, but to keep rats out.
This is the reality that Adani Group now aims to change, under a ₹23,000-crore mega redevelopment project. The plan promises to replace slums with modern high-rises, offer 350-square-foot flats to eligible residents, and build world-class infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and commercial complexes. It’s being hailed as one of India’s most ambitious urban renewal projects.
But questions loom large. Can such a dense, self-sustaining ecosystem of informal economies, recycling units, potters, leather workers, and street vendors be reorganized without destroying livelihoods? Critics warn that relocating residents and rebuilding their lives is far more complex than just building towers. Concerns about transparency, consent, compensation, and cultural displacement are surfacing not to mention the scale of logistics involved in shifting over 10 lakh people.
Adani’s gamble is more than a real estate project; it’s a test of whether private enterprise can handle socially sensitive urban redevelopment without erasing communities in the name of progress. For residents like Swami and his daughter Swanandi, the dream is simple: a home with light, air, and dignity. Whether this dream becomes a reality or remains another broken promise rests on what unfolds next in Dharavi.