Nobody has attempted in-situ redevelopment at this density before. Roughly a million people live across about 2.4 square kilometres, and the plan is to rehouse them on the same ground while they stay in the city.
Work on the first set of rehabilitation tenements is to start after the 2026 monsoon: 11,000 units at 350 square feet each, on a 6.4-acre railway land parcel at Matunga West transferred from Indian Railways.
Project Scope
Dharavi grew from the 1880s on reclaimed mangrove marsh between the Mithi River and the Mahim and Sion rail corridors. It carries an informal economy in leather, pottery, textiles and recycling estimated at a billion dollars a year, which is a large part of why relocation out of the city was never viable.
The scheme was tendered in November 2022 and Adani Properties won it with a bid of 5,069 crore rupees, which is the upfront equity commitment rather than the build cost. The SPV, Navbharat Mega Developers, is 80 percent Adani Properties and 20 percent the Maharashtra government. Overall the programme covers more than 125,000 residential units across roughly 600 acres, with free-sale apartments at 500 to 754 square feet.
The 350 square foot rehabilitation unit is larger than the 300 square foot Maharashtra slum rehabilitation standard. DRP has asked affected residents to finalise rental agreements and vacate ahead of the June 2026 monsoon and the school year, and a Dharavi Experience Centre giving residents a physical view of the scheme was committed for completion before 15 August 2026. Completion runs on a seven-year rehabilitation clock ending January 2032.
The 95,790 crore rupee figure, about 11.5 billion US dollars, is a full build-out programme total. Earlier 3 billion and 8 billion dollar figures circulate in different reports.
Why It Matters
The eligibility survey is the critical path, and it’s also the fight. Who counts as a resident entitled to a rehabilitation unit determines both the housing schedule and the litigation, and the scheme has been challenged repeatedly in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court with significant resident opposition.
For the construction side, the problem is decant. Phased rebuild on an occupied site of this density means every block cleared has to have somewhere for its households to go first, and the sequencing is the whole job. Treat the dates as aspirational.
Project Team & Details
| Developer | Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (Adani Properties 80%, Government of Maharashtra 20%) |
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| Owner / Client | Dharavi Redevelopment Project / Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Government of Maharashtra |
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| Status | Under Construction |
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| Delivery Method | Public-Private Partnership (P3) |
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| Funding Source | Public-Private Partnership (P3) |
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