MUMBAI // A low-voltage tube light sputters to life, illuminating Parvati Mani's dingy one-room tenement. The windowless dwelling is a tight squeeze as Ms Mani's family of six cook, eat, take turns to sleep, and survive.
Squeals of scurrying rats are heard from the rooftop.
Just outside is an open, litter-strewn sewer, and there is sparse relief from its stench. However, the Mani family is inured to the wretchedness of Dharavi.
"I spent nearly my whole life in this slum," said Ms Mani, 62, who shares her dwelling of 60 sq ft with her widowed daughter, who is a housemaid, and four grandchildren.
"But I hope for a dignified existence for my children."
Dharavi is a labyrinth of a slum - Asia's largest - and home to more than a million people. More than 17,000 people are crammed into one acre. A majority of them are migrants, all scrambling for space in a sea of weathered iron shacks and mildewed tenements.
Now, after years of delay, the federal government is set to implement an ambitious project that will transform Dharavi from a grubby slum to multi-storeyed buildings. Shanties will be flattened, and Dharavi's 57,000 families will be moved into apartments - 300 sq ft in size - built by private real estate developers free of charge. In return, the developers can reap profits by using the space from the rased shanties for commercial projects.
Dharavi's makeover plan, said architect Mukesh Mehta, who drew the blueprint, is a rare effort to revitalise a slum. This project, he said, will help improve the abominable living conditions of the people here.
Cholera and other water-borne diseases are endemic in Dharavi. Sanitation facilities are scarce, with one toilet for every 1,500 people, according to the World Bank.
Drinking water is in short supply as families of 15 share one water tap.
Many of Mumbai's elite view Dharavi as an excrescence that must be purged if India's financial and entertainment capital is to be given the aesthetics of a world-class city. Local politicians have long dreamed of transforming Mumbai into "India's Shanghai". With Dharavi's makeover, people such as Mr Mehta believe that dream will eventually come true.
Gautam Chatterjee, the chief executive officer of the Dharavi Development Authority, hopes that the slum's makeover will ease its large population density.
After slum dwellers are resettled, developers will be permitted to develop only commercial space, such as malls, in the newly available land, and no residences.
"No residences and only commercial buildings will generate a mobile population that will not crowd the area," Mr Chatterjee said. "That will reduce the population density of Dharavi."
Mr Chatterjee said six per cent of the space in a rehabilitated building will be used as a multi-facility community space to promote small-scale business enterprises to boost the incomes of the slum dwellers.
Development of the slum has enticed many Indian as well as international real estate developers such as DLF, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Engineering Associates and the Dubai-based Limitless.
Dharavi's economy currently comprises some 100,000 people producing goods worth more than US$500 million (Dh1.836bn) a year. These businesses are carried out in ramshackle one-room sheds where men labour, often in sweltering heat, to manufacture everything from leather products and clothing to food items and artificial jewellery. They also include a large recycling industry, which handles such discarded plastic goods as medical syringes and telephone instruments.
The makeover plan, said Mr Mehta, will give a boost to Dharavi's myriad industries. But, Mushtaq Memon, 40, the owner of a large tin recycling factory, is displeased with the authorities' handling of the makeover.
His chief complaint is that owners of industrial units were not consulted while the plan was being developed and he does not know whether he will be given a new place with the same floor area after the construction work is done or even if his new unit will be in the same area.
"Who doesn't want development?" he said in his office, with the sound of machines whirring in the background. "But you need to take all those people into confidence who you propose to bring about this development for. We want our rights."
But if one cuts through Dharavi's squalid quarters, a tangle of slender, rubbish-choked lanes, to the Bhuminetrawala compound, the community's future is in view, both the potential and the problems.
Here 250 apartments are being remodelled in one of the few buildings already being worked on under the makeover plan. With one phase ready, 50 families were given new homes in Bhuminetra compound six months ago.
Palan Aramugam, a 37-year-old labourer, moved here with his elderly mother, wife and four children. It is an airy, spacious apartment, he said, markedly different from the claustrophobic 10 by 10 shanty he spent nearly a decade in.
But the plumbing is faulty, the roof leaky, and even though there is an indoor bathroom, the family members often use an outdoor pay toilet for lack of water supply.
There are many loopholes that need to be plugged, said Sundar Bura, an adviser to Mumbai's Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres, a non-governmental organisation that works with slum dwellers. But, after years of delay, he is pleased that the makeover plan is finally under way.
"The main aim is to make Dharavi more liveable for its people," he said.
Meanwhile, the Mani family is eagerly waiting for the moment they will be given the keys to their new apartment. Mr Mani's 18-year-old grandson said he has heard politicians rattle away promises of moving slum dwellers into apartments since he was six.
"We are waiting for that dream to finally come true," he said.
* The National
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
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