Bombay
Dharavi

On June 1, 2006, the local government of Maharashtra launched a call for bids: for sale, Dharavi, the biggest slum of Asia, 214 hectares. The price: 1.9 billion Euros. The idea came from Mukesh Mehta, a city planner back from the United States. The man is enthusiastic: Dharavi is located between two railway lines, not far from the business centre. The inhabitants work hard. With some help, and better infrastructures, they could finally become wealthier. For ten years, Mehta tried to convince the local authorities to raze the slum. To no avail… until the day he told one of the high-rank officials: “Sign it, and you will be the man who has eliminated more poverty than Mother Teresa herself!” Deal! Private schools that poor children will be able to attend for free, golf, running tracks, even of museum of cricket… Mehta is convinced he will turn the poor into active workers of the nation. His method to get rid of slums has been patented.
Meanwhile, before the great transformations, the narrow streets of Dharavi are still full of workshops. According to Dharavi’s inhabitants, there are more than 5,000 of them. Some people made a fortune thanks to them. In the district of tanners, for instance, one goes down the few stairs of a decrepit house and arrives in the marble-covered office of Mustaqueem. Mustaqueem began his career with serving tea to workers. During the night, he learned how to work with the machines. That’s how he started his own workshop. Today, he employs more than 800 workers dispatched throughout the whole slum. He sells his production to American big firms. With his low-cost manpower, he’s unbeatable. Mustaqueem supports the project of Mehta: he needs more effective infrastructures.
Joachim Arputham, the president of the National Federation for the Slum Population wonders: what will happen to the inhabitants? Where and how will they be relocated? Only the people who settled before 1995 will be relocated. And they will have to pay a rent.
According to concerned NGO’s, about half of the 800,000 inhabitants of Dharavi will have to leave. Other slums are waiting for them.

Based : article, Julien Bouissou, Le Monde, July 20, 2007
Photos 2, 3: Jerry Wang
http://www.pbase.com/duckyork/bombay
Photo 4: dharmesh, flick.r