Redeveloping Dharavi

I came across an article in one of the morning newspapers today. Now I don’t consciously scout the paper for news relating to Dharavi. However I guess with my recent obsession with the area, it is but natural that my eyes and mind will be drawn to anything related to it, even if it is subconsciously.

In the midst of the election hustle and bustle, with candidates making promises a dime a dozen, there is a lot of muckraking happening, which invariably means questioning what the government/authorities in power have done for the people of a particular region especially if the finger pointing candidate is from the opposition.

The article in question is a collection of MP hopefuls’ responses about their promises if they get elected. BJP’s Mahesh Jethmalani talks about how the allocated funds for the reconstruction of Dharavi were withdrawn by the Centre. He goes on to say that not only should Dharavi be redeveloped but other slums as well, and how he will ensure this once he comes to power.

A good point. Unfortunately, a highly utopian one.

While the issue of slums and slum dwellers are treated as chronic problems and they continue to be debated, has anyone ever bothered to wonder WHY the problem arises in the first place?

I am not an expert, far from it infact. However, I can’t help but see a cause in the lopsided development India has been subjected to. It is the classic case of the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. In this case, cities develop more, while the rural areas stay undeveloped or underdeveloped. It is this discrepancy that causes massive migration from the rural areas into the more productive and thus more opportunistic urban areas. The search for jobs, higher salaries and a chance for a better life lead thousands of people to move to the cities, putting an unimaginable strain on its resources. These migrants, unable to afford accommodation at the sky high prices cities offer, often take to the streets forming shanties that eventually turn into slums.

Now, isn’t it a commonly understood and accepted notion that to eliminate any problem, rather than trying to control it once it is seemingly out of hand, it is much smarter to curb it at the source?

No single politician, party or government is to blame for the problem we face today. It is the collective effort of all corrupt, selfish people who have been a part of Indian politics – no matter at what post – since the dawn of an independent India that has caused the present situation.

Some might argue that such problems are a byproduct of advancement. Perhaps this is indeed true, but my adamant mind wonders, if we are so capable of reaching the heights we have today, do we really lack the power to create a truly powerful India, to develop rural areas in order to create job opportunities there which will eventually eliminate the need for slums in cities?

Yes, I believe the slums need to be redeveloped. I also wonder if the displacement caused by the proposed redevelopment schemes will just lead to more slums popping up thanks to the lack of proper interim rehabilitation. I strongly believe that the people of Dharavi have a right to the area, more than anybody else. If and when it is developed, they deserve to be re-placed there. It is unfair to expect them to give up their homes, move them to god-knows where, and then build a commercial area, the benefits of which they don’t receive at all. It is perhaps their knowledge of this fundamental selfish trait of our leaders and others in positions of authority that causes them to be wary.

Dharavi, and any other slum area for that matter, shouldn’t be defined by the number of shanties, the number of people, the filth, the poverty…instead look at the lives, the people, their hopes and dreams, their memories. Therein emerges your need for development.

Promises will continue to be made as elections come and go. Aren’t the past and the present the real scorecards, rather than words that have by and large till date proved to be vacant?
The hopes and dreams of people are at stake. Lives, memories…will all get displaced with these people when Dharavi undergoes redevelopment. Give them a chance for survival…