Dharavi project rules changed to benefit Adani: Congress

New Delhi, November 17

The Congress on Friday alleged that the Maharashtra Urban Development department had changed a rule in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project to benefit the Adani Group.

“Is there any sector of the economy that is not being converted into a Modi-made Monopoly (3M) for his friends?,” the party asked in a statement.

Wondering what is the nature of “this strong electoral bond between the BJP and Adani”, the Congress reiterated its demand of setting up of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the Adani Group’s activities.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said he had earlier asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi questions about how the Adani Group was allowed to bag the Dharavi Redevelopment Project in Mumbai in 2022 with a bid of Rs 5,069 crore, lower by Rs 2,131 crore than the original winning bid in 2018.

“And this was after the original winning bidder was excluded,” Ramesh said.

“It is now reported that the Maharashtra Urban Development department – which had originally expressed its reservations about relaxing the rules – has been compelled to issue a notification that removes the provision of indexation in Dharavi’s real estate Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and made it mandatory for all Mumbai builders to buy the first 40 per cent of their TDRs from Adani,” Ramesh said.

“This has the effect of greatly increasing the value of TDRs accruing to Adani – and Adani alone – from the Dharavi project,” Ramesh added.

Ramesh said TDR is a transferable credit that allows builders who agree to give up their rights to build in sensitive areas – for reasons related to the environment, historical or cultural significance or similar reason – to be compensated with extra construction rights in other approved areas.

The decision to remove indexation means that TDRs generated in low-cost areas like Dharavi can be used to develop expensive real estate in premium locations such as Bandra, south Mumbai and Juhu, Ramesh said.

The Congress leader said that the policy changes are expected to further push up prices in Mumbai’s already expensive housing market.

“This one policy change that benefits only Adani is yet another ‘revdi’ offered to the Prime Minister’s most favoured business group,” Ramesh said.