On Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said his party would oppose transforming Mumbai into "Adani City." He criticised Gautam Adani's award of the Dharavi redevelopment tender as potentially problematic and called for its cancellation.
"When GIFT City was planned during Manmohan Ji's government, we welcomed it. Modi Ji took GIFT City to Gujarat. Now, giving GIFT City to Gujarat and Adani City to Maharashtra, we will not allow this," he said, as quoted by ANI.
Thackeray emphasised the unique identity of Mumbai, vowing to preserve it and prevent it from being overshadowed by the Adani brand.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also pressed for clarity on the redevelopment of Dharavi, insisting that current residents should receive 500-square-foot homes. He criticised the lack of transparency in the tender process, describing it as a potential trap.
"We demand that redevelopment in Dharavi should not displace anyone. If Adani cannot fulfil this, they should step back, and a fresh tender should be issued," he stated firmly, as reported by ANI.
Furthermore, Thackeray expressed his opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's purported plans to develop Mumbai into an Adani-dominated city, reiterating his commitment to ensuring redevelopment in Dharavi benefits its residents.
"We launched a campaign in Dharavi to ensure that redevelopment provides rightful homes to its people... Modi and Shah may aspire to make Mumbai an Adani city, but we will not permit it," Thackeray concluded, as stated by ANI.
In November 2022, Adani Properties Pvt. Ltd secured the contract to redevelop Dharavi, a sprawling slum cluster spanning 600 acres in Mumbai, with a winning bid of ₹5,069 crore.
The ambitious project aims to resettle approximately one million residents. Adani Group's venture into real estate began just 14 years ago, transitioning from Adani Enterprises Ltd to Adani Properties, now known as Adani Realty, signalling their growing influence in the sector.
