Here's Why Maharashtra Govt Decision to Move Dharavi Residents to Deonar Is a Problem

New Delhi: Maharashtra government’s clearance for moving Dharavi residents to the Deonar landfill was in violation of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms, the Indian Express has reported on the basis of a Right to Information response.

The Maharashtra government in October 2024 had cleared a proposal to shift 50,000-1 lakh residents of the Dharavi slum to the Deonar landfill, which is one of the biggest waste disposal sites in Mumbai.

The move is part of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) headed by the Adani group in partnership with the Maharashtra government.

According to the report, CPCB’s 2021 guidelines prohibit building houses, schools and hospitals on or within 100 m of closed landfills. While this rule alone would disqualify Deonar from being used, the reality is that Deonar is not even a closed landfill. In fact, it is one of the top 22 methane spots in the country, releasing an average of 6,202 kg of methane every hour.

Who will clean up the Deonar landfill?

The Indian Express has reported that the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) handed over 124 acres of the 311-acre Deonar landfill to the state government for DRP on September 27, 2024. Since then, no waste has been dumped in the site.

The 124-acre land parcel contains nearly 80 lakh MT or 40% of the total solid waste at the dump at present, the report said.

A report by the Indian Express last year had quoted Mumbai civic officials as having said that the process of reclaiming land from solid waste would take a minimum of 6-7 years and could cost above Rs 1,000 crore in the present circumstances.

While the Maharashtra government had asked the BMC to carry out bio-mining at the site, the BMC handed over the 124-acre parcel in an “as-is” condition to the state government, the report said.

Also read: Maharashtra: Dharavi Redevelopment Becomes Key Poll Issue as Opp Questions Adani ‘Land Grab’

Bio-mining is the scientific model certified by the CPCB when it comes to reclaiming landfills and calls for the segregation and natural degradation of waste.

A report by Hindustan Times quoted BMC officials as having said that it is not possible to carry out bio-mining at the dump yard as there is no space in the city to dump the byproducts. The report gave a new timeline for the completion of such a project, if it had to take place – 12-14 years and at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

BMC commissioner Gagrani told the Indian Express for this latest report, “The land on which the Deonar dumpyard stands never belonged to the BMC. It was handed over to the civic authorities by the state’s revenue department in the early 20th century, specifically for the purpose of solid waste management. Now this land has been handed back as per the state government’s demands in an ‘as-is’ condition. As a result, the quantity of waste still remains there.”

An April 2024 letter from the NMDPL shows that it put the onus for cleanup on the BMC early on. “Given the land has been used as a dumping ground in the past, appropriate action of cleaning the dump over next two years by BMC may also be tied up and facilitated,” read the letter from NMDPL’s head of land acquisition to Mumbai’s deputy collector.

Other concerns about the Deonar landfill include its close proximity to a ‘Waste to Energy’ plant and a bio-CNG plant that are upcoming in the area. An environmental impact assessment (EIA), mandatory in the planning stage, is yet to be conducted for the project, the report added.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project

The project claims to transform Asia’s largest slum into a “modern urban enclave” with housing and other amenities. Of the 600-acre area, 296 acres have been earmarked for DRP.

In 2022, Adani Realty established a special purpose vehicle (SPV), called the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), in agreement with the state government’s Dharavi Redevelopment Project Authority – a unit that had existed for over two decades under the state’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) specifically for the Dharavi project.

Of the total DRPPL, Adani Realty owns 80% , making it almost a sole entity to carry out the redevelopment of the area with very little interference from the state.

DRPL has now been renamed to Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL).

Housing for Dharavi residents

NMDPL has a seven-year deadline to rehabilitate Dharavi residents. The plan is twofold: in situ housing for the 1.5 lakh ‘eligible’ beneficiaries – those who had had housing structures built on or before January 1, 2000 – and ex situ housing for 4 lakh ‘in-eligible’ beneficiaries.

Of the 4 lakh individuals who will get relocated, 50,000-1 lakh are expected to be sent to rental units built on the Deonar landfill. For the rest, the government has earmarked land at Kurla Dairy, Wadala and the salt pans between Kanjurmarg and Mulund.

Why are people being housed at a landfill?

Notably, residents do live in Deonar – in areas adjacent to the landfill – and have been vocal about heightened attention to pressing civic issues.

Both the state government and the SRA said it was NMDPL that selected the site.

Said Mahendra Kalyankar, CEO of SRA told the paper, “Even though we own 20% stake, the onus of selecting the land parcel was with DRPPL (NMDPL) since they are a special purpose vehicle responsible for executing the project. The decision of selecting the said site was made by them which was later approved by the Housing Department.” Since the land didn’t belong to SRA, he said, the authority did not have much to do when it came to evaluating the norms.

Valsa Nair Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, housing department, said, “We only cleared the proposal based on the demand DRPPL (NMDPL) and the CEO (SVR Srinivas) made, as the decision of selecting and allotting a land parcel is being made at the level of project authorities and not at the government level.”

The Adani group did not comment on the matter.

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