Spoiling the man

Bhau Korde, a key figure of the Koli Wada community, claims that the government's proposed plan spoils the man. "Man is a social animal, when you architects design a house you destroy this." In the planned high-rises each family from Dharavi (with proof of their living there since 2000) would get a flat, but the social structure and the possibility to earn a living is lost. To work on the communal harmony after the riots of 1992-93, the different communities started discussing together what happened and tried to achieve a mutual understanding. "Only when the grassroots work, you get 100% results." But although I sympathise with this approach, I also fear it is too idealistic, because some problems require solving on more levels, Dharavi is not only enough in itself, but also part of the city that is Mumbai. Is dialogue only possible on grassroot level? Why not vertically? The fact that one party has power over the other is of course the answer. How can balance be created to allow for real dialogue, between equal parts, to take place? Is it even possible? Where does the power balance lie between the grassroot level of the struggling people of Dharavi and the government's plans to develop Mumbai as a new Shanghai? Answers to that question are complex, but some hints were given during the rest of the workshop. International focus from media acts as a deterrent to go ahead and force the development says Kalpana Sharma, journalist and author of Rediscovering Dharavi. A member of Mashal (the organisation that is carrying biometric surveys in Dharavi) explains that the very situation of Dharavi within Mumbai works to its advantage: squeezed between two of the three railway lines that millions of Mumbaikers use everyday, the inhabitants of Dharavi could make the city stop. The city is also dependent on the informal work sector to function. Imagine if the million people of Dharavi would go on a strike for one day: no taxis, no food, to name only two obvious effects.
So they are in a position of possible negociation with the government. From what I have gathered, discussion has been focusing on the amount of sqft each family would get in the new plan. Still no alternative plan has been proposed. Maybe because a truly sustainable solution would have to involve not only Dharavi, but Mumbai, its metropolitan region, even the whole country since migration to the city from villages throughout India occurs because people are looking for work.