Dharavi Redevelopment Project: Upper-Floor Residents Eligible for Subsidized Homes
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project has made a groundbreaking move by extending benefits to upper-floor residents who can prove occupancy before a cut-off date, offering 300 sq ft homes outside Dharavi but within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Eligibility Criteria
Beneficiaries can opt for a hire-purchase model, paying nominal rent for 25 years before ownership transfers, or choose early ownership by paying a pre-approved sum.
Documentary Evidence
- Priority 1: Electricity bills in the family head's name, showing the upper-floor address, one dated before the cut-off and one recent.
- Priority 2: Registered rent agreement citing the upper-floor address, one pre-cut-off and one recent.
- Priority 3: Registered purchase agreement with the upper-floor address plus a notarised consent letter, one pre-cut-off and one recent.
- Priority 4: Aadhaar, passport, ration card, driving licence, or voter ID showing the upper-floor address before the cut-off.
- Priority 5: Affidavit from the upper-floor family head, backed by certification from the eligible ground-floor family head.
The policy marks a departure from past slum rehabilitation schemes, which typically excluded upper-floor occupants. Officials said that most upper-floor residents are providing affidavits, indicating limited availability of higher-priority documents.
Clarifications and Restrictions
- Each unit must submit separate documentation under higher-priority categories or collectively file as a single unit under the affidavit provision, subject to ground-floor certification.
- One home per family; spouses and children cannot file separate claims for homes.
- Applicants who already own property under other housing schemes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are not eligible.
Ground-Floor Certification
The DRP official clarified that if the ground-floor unit holder fails to prove their own eligibility and gets disqualified, the affidavit route to own a home closes for the upper-floor resident too.
Multiple Units on a Single Upper Floor
The DRP has also received documents from multiple huts on a single upper floor unit. Officials clarified that each unit must submit documents under Priority 1-4, or collectively file as a single unit under the affidavit provision.
Policy Goals
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project is setting a precedent by including upper-floor residents, making this the most humane and inclusive urban renewal project of all time, according to the official.