Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday criticised the Dharavi redevelopment tender awarded to Gautam Adani and said that his party won’t let Mumbai turn into what he called the ‘Adani City’.
Thackeray claims that the tender should be cancelled, describing it as a potential trap. He said, “During Manmohan Ji’s government, GIFT City was coming here, and we welcomed it. Modi Ji took GIFT City to Gujarat. Now giving GIFT City to Gujarat and Adani City to Maharashtra, we will not let this happen.”
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Thackeray was referring to the shifting of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in 2020 from Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla complex to GIFT City, a special economic zone in Gujarat.
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“The identity that Mumbai has will remain in Mumbai, we will not let it change into Adani City,” he said.
Thackeray also referred to the plan as a trap for its lack of clarity on what amenities Dharavi residents will be provided with and where they will live.
“There is no mention of how Dharavi will be developed. Where will Dharavi residents go? If you look at the tender, it seems like a trap,” he said.
Thackeray also demanded that redevelopment in Dharavi should not displace anyone. He also said that if Adani is not capable of it, a re-tender should be issued.
The Shiv Sena UBT leader asked that the tender be cancelled and that all Dharavi residents get a 500-square-foot house.
“We demand that no one from Dharavi should ever be displaced. If Adani can’t do it, they should surrender and a re-tender be issued,” he said.
He added that his party won’t let Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah turn Mumbai into an Adani city.
“In Dharavi, we launched a campaign that redevelopment should give people their rightful homes…Modi and Shah claim to make Mumbai an Adani city, but we will not let that happen,” Thackeray said.