bull

The latest flodding has bought back the "crown of dirtiest city" to Mumbai once again.

Kudos should be given to the authorities and the public in Mumbai for such a wonderfull achievement.An estimated INR 250 cr iwas spend n a single year just on drainage,but nothing mush seems to have changed.

The already overloaded ancient suburban trains came to a halt,the slums on which mumbai barks to be the next shanghai was flooded,and the walkways leading to the slums where 2/3rd of the mumbaites live were inaccesible.

Is this what Indians financial capital should be like.Or should we ever bark about Mumbai which doesnt even have a proper public amenities.

Shanghai ...thats what it was suppose to be in future,but with this rain it has proven to be the MUMBAI that no one can ever match.


PS:The much hyped about hi-tech search and rescue team's picture is attached below.

Attached Images

1.jpg (84.3 KB, 282 views)

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The ones in the casinos are serious.

bull

India's Pride..Neighbours Envy.

Attached Images

dharavi.jpg (72.7 KB, 278 views)

gilgamesh

You probably haven't seen Calcutta (or Chennai when it floods). At least those guys in the picture are trying.

Akshay

The honour goes to Kanpur - The big 'Dehaat'. Mumbai isn't much behind though..

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gilgamesh

Saw a progam yesterday on CNN-IBN, about infrastructure. Leading Bombay citizen(Padamsee) has given a sensible solution, RUN!

Akshay

Its an egg on the face of Vilasrao. If he has any shame left he should jump from the top of Manori hills. Forget about turning Mumbai into Shanghai.. hell, even Sao Paulo is much better than Mumbai.

santosh tiwari

no shanghai came directly from sky. mumbai has caliber to compete with cities like even sydney or london. even 30-40 billion dollars investment can make changes, while india is one of the biggest economy of the world having one of the cheapest labor. we are doing well, be patient, we are just started. we will make so much changes that people will forget shanghai.

SLASH

Why blame the people for this mess?Blame the migrants who come to the city only to build a illegal shanty of their own.

SLASH

But what abt the slum dwellers.How r we going to rehabilitate the 15 millions in the slums and thousands joining them every single day?

gilgamesh

Your post reminds me of that accident in Moore Market in Madras. Whole market gutted down by some mysterious spark, and zero casualities. Everybody went home happy, I think. Chennai has some really ceative people.

Archer

Thats already being done.

http://e.sinchew-i.com/content.phtml...d=200606070003

Dharavi: Soon A Slum No More?
Updated:2006-06-09 14:38:24 MYT

Author: By Charu Bahri
HappyNews Citizen Journalist



(Reproduced with permission from HappyNews.com. To check out more Happy News, please click here.)

Not for nothing do they call it Asia's largest slum. Situated in the heart of the city of Mumbai, India and home to about 52,000 families who generate a turnover of over USD444 million per annum from their numerous industrial units scattered across the spread, Dharavi is truly a sea of humanity struggling against the odds to keep itself afloat.

But this is set to change very soon.

The state government of Maharashtra, in which the city of Mumbai is located, a city where at least 50% of the population lives in slums, has implemented the Slum Rehabilitation Authority--something that is touted as the world's largest slum rehabilitation project.

Expected to cost USD1,258 million, the Dharavi Development Project (DDP) aptly titled "Support Our Slums" has been framed as a holistic project that aims not merely to provide alternate homes to the slum-dwellers, but to create well-planned and aesthetic surroundings catering to all their needs: housing complexes, schools, supermarkets, a modern hospital, clinics, a state-of-the art leather institute, fashion and ceramic institutes, a 4-acre sports complex, a centre for visual and performing arts and open spaces--all connected by wide roads.

What is novel about the DDP is that it is a self-funded scheme. A group of real-estate developers will construct over 70,000 apartments, allotting 225 square feet area for each, for every Dharaviite family.

The families will not be charged for their new apartments, which will be situated on the area presently covered by the slum. The developers will be compensated by being awarded extra FSI or the transfer of development rights. Thus, for each square foot built for a slum-dweller, the developer will be entitled to 1.33 square feet of saleable space. The DDP blueprint divides the slum into 12 sectors--two of which will be developed as commercial development.

The DDP was conceived by non-resident Indian architect Mukesh Mehta, CEO of MM Consultants and appointed adviser to the government of Maharashtra, after a 5-year study of the area and the nature of its inhabitants. The finding that slum-dwellers are loath to live in highrise buildings practically translated the plans for lowrise (7-storey buildings), high-density dwellings.

With complete emphasis on creating a sustainable environment for the mass of humanity that will be rehabilitated, the project also entails a 15-year guarantee on the part of the developers for the maintenance of the residential complexes, external paint, lifts and electrical maintenance--as Mehta's study indicated that slum-dwellers are not used to saving and spending on the area immediately outside their homes.

The project's vision is thus to create a modern-day township ensconced in the city of Mumbai. Interestingly, Dharavi was originally one of many villages surrounding the British fort in Mumbai.

In the late 1600s and 1700s when the development of cotton mills caused a large influx of migrants to erstwhile Bombay, Dharavi was just one crowded "native town," as they were called, outside the walls of the British area, having its own small tanning industry. Over the centuries, textile, pottery, plastic processing, Jari (special Indian embroidery work done with golden and silver threads) stitching industry units grew alongside the leather tanning industry.

The planners have made provision for the further growth and employment prospects of Dharavi's industrial units, by envisaging the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) housing gem and jewelry factories, a leather industry, info tech etc., which will spur their current industrial output to grow manifold to $2,890 million per annum.

The Central Government has already allocated a grant of over $110 million to the project, which will be appropriated for the development of infrastructure. Government estimates indicate that the funds will be used to build schools, a fire station, a municipal market, a police station, a municipal chowky (central spot), a municipal hospital, sewage disposal facilities, solid waste management facilities, drinking water facilities, storm water drains, a cemetery and roads. Apparently, civic necessities have been well thought of.

A mass transit or shuttle service to connect the entire area with surroundings suburbs such as Sion, Dadar, Bandra or Mahim is also visualised.

With a long-term aim of integrating Dharaviites with mainstream Mumbai, and providing them a platform to aspire to a better life, the DDP initiative is designed to transform the entire population to a middle-income community by 2010.

While many rehabilitation projects get bogged down by a lack of political or administrative will, in this case, the administration and political system seems committed to seeing the project through and to this end, have consulted numerous corporations to ensure the right legal framework is put in place prior to the process of global tendering for the development contracts. Given that, it appears to be only a matter of time before this ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan.


(Charu Bahri is a freelance writer from India. She has written for various magazines and newspapers and additionally authored two books and a screenplay.


Sinchew-i 20

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gilgamesh

More than the slum dwellers, its the builders who are responsible for the hapazard growth. They should be dealt with first. Next, politicians who allow those slums. Above solution in the link, is at best patchwork. Bombay will still remain ugly, over-crowded and expensive.

bull

Even a 30-40 bn dollar!!! You know how big a sum that is???

I never think India will be able to invest that much in a single city like Mumbai and that too only for infra.

Akshay

If the government of Maharashtra didn't learn its lesson last year after over 1000 lives were lost then what makes you think they would do now? It is always good to be optimistic but janaab, its my city. I know how things work over there. It took 10 years time for Railway officials to clear shanties to extend the Harbour line upto Vashi. Even I hope for things to change but this slow pace of development makes me rip my hairs off in angst. What an irony!! I am running a thread on Indian Infrastructure and state of my own city is such that roads have vanished and it resembles more like ghettos of Venice. 30-40 billion dollars? hell!! even 500 billion dollars won't make a drop of difference till the scum of Mumbai, the Jhopadpatties are removed jhopadpattiwallas are shifted out of city. Chinese government had the desire, will & volition to turn their city into New york equivalent. About our government.. lesser said the better...

Akshay

Bull,

McKinsey in its report to Maharashtra Government had recommended an investment of $28 bln to bring Mumbai's infrastructure atpar to World standard. So, Santosh is very much in range but, nothing is going to change.. Take my words.