The Congress on Saturday accused the Maharashtra government of awarding the Dharavi Redevelopment Project to an Adani Group firm as a ‘gift’.
It also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was using State governments as “ATM machines” for his “cronies”.
According to a resolution released by the Housing Development department of Maharashtra, the State Cabinet approved the outcome of the bidding process on December 22 last, leading to the rights being awarded to Adani Properties.
Watch | All about the Dharavi Redevelopment Project
‘Shady takeover’
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, stating that his final action before leaving the housing department was to formally approve the Adani Group’s “shady takeover” of the ₹5,069-crore Dharavi redevelopment project, which encompasses 600 acres of prime land in the country’s financial capital.
Mr. Ramesh claimed that the project was originally awarded to another bidder, but after the tender was cancelled due to a dispute, the Shinde-Fadnavis government modified the tender conditions to ensure Adani Group’s victory.
“After the original tender was cancelled due to a dispute, the Shinde-Fadnavis government performed amazing acrobatics to change the tender conditions to ensure that PM Modi’s closest friend was the only feasible winner. This included raising the minimum net worth needed to win the bid from ₹10,000 crore to ₹20,000 crore to exclude the previous winner and to allow payment in instalments that eased the path for the cash-strapped Adani Group,” he alleged.
The grand old party’s general secretary also raised concerns about objections from officers of the Urban Development department and highlighted that the government resolution allows the sale of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) with no indexation on the pricing, along with a mandatory 50 per cent purchase of TDR from the Dharavi Special Purpose Vehicle.
“This will ensure a windfall funding for Adani saving the cash-strapped group from putting any capital into the project. Has any other developer got such a sweet deal,” he questioned.
“This is yet another example of how PM Modi has reduced his State governments to ATM machines for his cronies. Even the land and livelihoods of Mumbai’s slum-dwellers won’t be spared by the Modani MegaScam,” Mr. Ramesh added.
During the Cabinet reshuffle and allocation of portfolios on Friday, Minister Atul Save was given Housing department, which was early held by Mr. Fadnavis.
“On July 13, a day before Mr. Fadnavis relinquished charge as Maharashtra’s Housing Minister, the housing department issued orders appointing Adani Properties Pvt. Ltd as the ‘Lead Partner’ for the Dharavi redevelopment project,” Mumbai Congress chief and Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad said.
‘Livelihoods in danger’
“Ignoring widescale opposition and concerns regarding the financial integrity and stability of the Adani group and sidestepping serious questions over the transparency, fairness, and the competitiveness of the tendering process, this mitr-centric government is hell-bent on letting the crisis-hit conglomerate redevelop Dharavi, which happens to be the world’s largest project of its kind. Dharavi is being made a scapegoat to benefit a ‘struggling’ friend of the BJP,” she accused.
Despite the whitewashing by the BJP parivar, the fact remains that the Adani group’s ability to raise capital from the market for a project of this scale is in serious doubt, the Congress leader said. “Given this scenario, letting them [Adani group] go ahead with the redevelopment project without re-evaluating its fiscal stability in the near- and long-term amounts to jeopardising the future of lakhs of families and industrious MSMEs,” she added.
