by Dhwani Pandya
BOMBAY (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters led by opposition parties marched towards the offices of billionaire Gautam Adani in Mumbai on Saturday to voice their opposition to his conglomerate’s plan to redevelop one of the city’s largest slums. Asia for $614 million.
Protesters waved flags and banners bearing slogans such as “Remove Adani, Save Dharavi” from the slum to Adani’s premises in the central business district of India’s financial capital.
“We are not against development, but the way the redevelopment of Dharavi is planned will only benefit Adani and not the slum dwellers,” said Baburao Mane, leader of the Save Dharavi Committee (Dharavi Bachao Andolan).
The protest comes amid growing political opposition to the state government – led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies – for granting undue favors to Adani companies during the award and execution of the slum renovation contract.
A rival bidder – a Dubai-based consortium – filed a lawsuit claiming that the Maharashtra state government had improperly canceled a 2018 tender for slum redevelopment and favored Adani in the award of the new contract.
Adani and the state government have denied any wrongdoing and say the contracts were awarded in accordance with existing laws and policies.
Protesters demanded that slum residents, whether eligible or not, be housed in the redeveloped area and given larger homes. Some protesters also want the government to take charge of slum renovation rather than private developers like Adani.
In July, the Maharashtra state government approved Adani Group’s bid to rehabilitate Dharavi, known for its production of leather goods, after years of failed attempts.
The slum, three-quarters the size of New York’s Central Park and depicted in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), has open sewers and communal toilets.
It is located near the Mumbai International Airport and office towers housing foreign companies.
(Reporting by Dhwani Pandya; written by David Holmes, French version Benjamin Mallet)
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