Karachi: The Congress party has accused the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of favoring the Adani Group in the Dharavi redevelopment project in Mumbai. According to the party, the government has relaxed certain norms, potentially benefitting the business conglomerate.
Kashmir Media Service reports that Congress General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted changes in the Maharashtra Urban Development Department’s policy regarding Transferable Development Rights (TDR) in Dharavi. The department reportedly issued a notification mandating Mumbai builders to purchase 40 percent of their TDRs from Adani, a move that Ramesh claims significantly increases the value of TDRs for Adani from the Dharavi project.
Ramesh, addressing the issue in the party’s “Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (HAHK) series,” raised questions about the Adani Group securing the Dharavi Redevelopment Project bid at Rs 5,069 crore in 2022, which was lower than the original winning bid in 2018. He noted that the original winning bidder was excluded from the project.
The Congress leader explained that TDR is a credit system allowing builders to receive additional construction rights in exchange for foregoing their rights in areas of environmental, historical, or cultural significance. He criticized the decision to remove indexation, arguing that it enables the use of TDRs generated in low-cost areas like Dharavi for developing high-end real estate in Mumbai, further increasing housing prices in the city.
Ramesh condemned this policy change as a ‘revdi’ (freebie) favoring Adani, questioning the nature of the relationship between the BJP and the Adani Group. He called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the allegations.
The statement concluded by mentioning the Congress party’s ongoing criticism of the Adani group, led by Narendra Modi’s close associate Gautam Adani. The party has been demanding a JPC probe into the allegations of stock manipulation by the Adani Group, as claimed by a U.S. research group, Hindenburg.