Bhiwandi is a suburb in the outskirts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, popularly known as the

“Manchester” of India, governed by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation. Even with such a
rich history, it has been tainted by the presence of two major slum areas, Madhav Nagar and Shama
Nagar. The total population of these two slum areas is about 50,000, accounting for about 5% of the
total population in Bhiwandi.

In accordance with the Dharavi Slum redevelopment plan, Bhiwandi has also been subjected to many
such plans, having gone through multiple revisions and delays under the SRA. However similar, Bhiwandi
slums have some differences that might pose as challenges if a plan like Dharavi is initiated there.

Firstly, Bhiwandi is a textile center for the country, with many medium and large-scale businesses
(Unlike Dharavi’s small-scale nature) based there. Also, it serves as a large logistics hub, being one of
Asia’s largest warehousing hubs. These two sectors demand a lot of space and employment, both of
which are heavily served by the slum areas. Hence, any redevelopment will disturb the functioning of
these industries, and hence affect the entrepreneurs and the daily laborers coming from slum areas.

Secondly, Bhiwandi has a much higher ratio of Muslim residents, leading to unfortunate frequent
communal riots and creating a politically volatile environment. In such a situation, the geographical
division like Dharavi for redevelopment, or government allotment of building rights can give rise to
turmoil. Hence, the possibility of delays on those grounds, coupled with changing governments may
pose as an investment risk.

Lastly, the slum areas in Bhiwandi are rather discontinuous, unlike Dharavi. And hence, any
redevelopment effort will have to be split into even smaller fragments, making it difficult to coordinate
and manage. Hence, a differently curated plan will be necessary for Bhiwandi.