Dharavi, a success story!

We were on our way to Juhu from Pune and I failed to recognise Dharavi. Not surprising as it appeared to be a continuation of Sion! They looked similar and in fact, Sion railway station looked worse.

To be honest in its early days Dharavi to me was an eyesore. I remember feeling disgusted with the stench and the sights of Dharavi and feeling a bit afraid. When I expressed my feelings, I was scolded by a graduate of Tata Institute of Social Sciences for my attitude. She said the slum people worked very hard and were only poor. They were not criminals and contributed to the economy with their cheap labor and enterprise.

I was told that Dharavi was different. It actually supported a number of small businesses. Potters, tanners and recyclers and with a working economy developed over the years. No one speaks of other slums in this manner.

Wikipedia has a good overview and we understand why there are so many slums in Mumbai. Just 1 out of 7 million slum dwellers of Mumbai live in Dharavi and the rest are seen all over Mumbai.

Then I see this on the web and I am astonished. It seems that even Dharavi would soon become beyond my means. Will someone explain to me why the land prices are shooting to the sky and in turn the prices of apartments.
The answers, I am sure, will tell us the story of the new resurgent India.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_now-dharavi-huts-are-hot-property_1142194
Published: Sunday, Dec 30, 2007, 10:34 IST
By Neeta Kolhatkar

Today a shanty in Dharavi, just 10 feet by 10 feet, commands over Rs 5 lakh, twice as much as before the bidding began for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. For commercial property, the going rate is three to four times as much.

“The cost of commercial property is Rs20,000-25,000 per sq ft, while residential prices have gone up to Rs5000-7000 per sq ft, as buyers are trying to get properties in bulk,”said Arputham Joauim, president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation of India. “These buyers think they can get a gold mine and have begun offering any amount to property owners.”