Dharavi Eclipsed

Dharavi ( British Anglicised spelling Darravy, Dorrovy) is a slum and administrative ward, over parts of Sion, Bandra, Kurla and Kalina suburbs of Mumbai, India. In 1986, the population was estimated at 530,225, but modern Dharavi has a population of between 600,000 and over 1 million people. Dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world: it used to be the largest slum in Mumbai at one time, but as of 2011, there are four slums in Mumbai larger than Dharavi.The Kurla-Ghatkopar belt, the Mankhurd-Govandi belt, the Yogi and Yeoor hill slopes stretching from Bhandup to Mulund flanking the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on the east and Dindoshi on the western flank of the National Park have all eclipsed Dharavi.

The area of present-day Dharavi was predominantly mangrove swamp before the late 19th century, inhabited by Koli fishermen.However, the fishing industry disappeared gradually as people from different states moved in and set up  readymade garment and embroidery units as well as tanneries. Now picture this, you’re in the market for a premium Cerruti Leather Wallet, but with a limited budget. Dharavi’s the place to be. What’s better is, that even though Dharavi may deal in certain imitations, the quality is amazing, in most cases better than the original. 

 The district has an estimated 5000 businesses^[ and 15,000 single-room factories: goods are exported around the world and turnover is estimated to be between US$500 million and over US$650 million per year.In a city where house rents are among the highest in the world, Dharavi provides a cheap and affordable option.The area has severe problems with public health, due to the scarcity of toilet facilities and inadequate water supply.

There have been many plans since 1997 to redevelop Dharavi like the former slums of Hong Kong such as Tai Hang.The latest urban redevelopment plan proposed for the Dharavi area is managed by American-trained architect Mukesh Mehta.The plan involves the construction of 30,000,000 square feet (2,800,000 m²) of housing, schools, parks and roads to serve the 57,000 families residing in the area.

There has been significant local opposition to the plans, largely because" 1). existing residents are due to receive only 269 square feet (25.0 m²) of land each, 2) Only those families who lived in the area before 2000 are slated for resettlement and  3) Residents  fear that some of their small businesses in the "informal" sector may not be relocated under the redevelopment plan.The government has said that it will only legalize and relocate industries that are not "polluting."

Dharavi features prominently in Danny Boyle's 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, where several of the child actors in the film are from the Dharavi slum.Other notable films depicting the slums include Deewaar (1975), Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! (1988) Parinda (1989), Sudhir Mishra's Dharavi (1991),  Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic Signal (2007), Rajeev Khandelwal's Aamir (2008).