The Maharashtra government has finalised a revised schedule for the bidding process on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project in Mumbai. Work on the project will start 2009. According to Mr Gautam Chatterjee VP of Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority, also officer on special duty for the project, the tentative timeline has been approved in principle by Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh CM of Maharashtra. The 19 short listed consortia of global realty majors will be issued amended bid documents by September end. They will present their master plans by mid October following a deliberative process regarding each bid’s technical merits. Financial bids will be opened by November end.

If adhered to the timeline, the winning bids will be announced year end and work would then begin by early 2009. It is mandatory for bidders to demarcate spaces for economic activities in their master plan since Dharavi is a hub for manufacture of leather goods, food products, clothing and artificial jewellery besides a large recycling industry. A conceptual master plan, technical specifications of amenities and mandatory infrastructural development should be submitted by the bidders.

The project aims at rehousing 57,000 slum families in free homes, to be built by investing real estate developers who then exploit the FSI of 4 for commercial realty development. The minimum size of all flats for slum dwellers is 300 square feet those who currently own more than 300 square feet will be eligible for 400 square feet homes, if they pay construction cost for the excess 100 square feet.

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