Real life 'Slumdog' slum to be demolished

" Five years after the regional government announced its intention to redevelop Dharavi, the vast Mumbai slum where parts of "Slumdog Millionaire" were filmed, developers are finally submitting their blueprints for the project.

Nineteen consortiums from around the world are vying to redevelop the 500-plus acres of land occupied by Dharavi and the bulldozers could move in within six months."

This news bulliton from CNN gave me mixed feelings about the approach that will be taken in the redevlopement of the Mumbai slums. Firstly, The redevelopment of slums is vitally important to the people living there and for poverty stricken areas to survive. This particular area of slums is so vast it reaches 3 different railway stops, which is great for connectivity and will aid people in the slums to work in other areas of the city.

The plan is to demolish the site within 6 months, but my concern is the devlopment stage. Where will people live whilst bullzoers destroy their livelyhoods and communities. Depite the harsh livng conditions, families, nieghbours, workers and friends have all developed a unique society in Mumbai. Is the answer to devloping slums into an adequete living space demolish all of it at once?

15,000 workers in the area even protested the development proposals in 2007. The development is not even made for everyone as workers who live in their workshops and residents who moved after 1999 are not eligible to have a living space. These poeple will have to move to other slums as a result.