MUMBAI, Dec. 17 -- The first of thousands of Dharavikars have started moving out of their decades-old homes in cramped alleys. At least two areas-Meghwadi at Matunga and Shatabdi Nagar at Sion, spread over 620.82 acres-have been issued eviction notices under the Rs 2.5-lakh-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) headed by Gautam Adani's Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL). On Tuesday, a statement issued by Mahendra Kalyankar, the CEO of the DRP, said that the Dharavi residents would be shifted to their new homes in a "humane and dignified manner". He was responding to eviction notices served to around 42 residents of Ganesh Nagar in Meghwadi, which sits on railway land. Behind this locality is where the first part of the redeveloped Dharavi is shaping up. Explaining the circumstances behind the notices, Kalyankar said, "Dharavi is such a densely populated slum that there is hardly any space. So, unless a small number of residents are temporarily shifted, no space can be created to begin construction. Our intent has always been to ensure a smooth and dignified transition from slum to rehab homes for the residents. Yet, in some cases like Ganesh Nagar, some relocation becomes unavoidable. This is being done as per the provisions of law." On Ground Zero, where the notices have been served, the residents are uneasy and allege a lack of transparency and manipulation by the authorities and NMDPL. Bipin Padaya, whom residents of Meghwadi look up to, told Hindustan Times that there were over 150 tenements in the area, and 42 of them had been served with eviction notices. "They want space to lay sewage lines," he said. "Where's the need at this juncture, when the construction on the railway land has just commenced? Utilities are laid towards the end." Padaya also questioned where the much-spoken-about sample flat was. "So far, we haven't seen one. We are clearly being fooled," he said. "Even the rehabilitation area being offered is 350 sq ft split into two-300 sq ft of carpet area and another 50 sq ft fungible area. It should be an outright 350 sq ft." The residents are also unhappy about the monthly rent of Rs 18,000 and Rs 15,000 for the ground- and first-floor tenements respectively. They claim that they cannot find alternative accommodation with this meagre amount. Kalyankar is of the view that relocating a few thousand residents to transit or rental accommodation cannot overshadow the intent of a smooth transition from slum to new rehab homes for a project that aims to rehabilitate nearly one million slum residents. On the other end of Dharavi, at Shatabdi Nagar in Sion, the sentiment on the ground is contrary to that in Matunga. So far, people from 301 tenements are in the process of moving to the allotted transit homes next door, which are in MHADA buildings at Sector 5. Another set of 350 tenements is likely to be vacated soon. The eligible residents got the keys to their transit residences in the last week of November. "We are at least moving out of this place where there are a multitude of problems such as drug-peddling, lack of sanitation, mosquitos and blacklisting by certain companies," explained Roshan Shaikh, a social worker who motivated residents to accept transit homes. The transit homes are 350 sq ft, the same area that residents will get post-redevelopment. However, the bedrooms here do not have a door and the balcony is bereft of a grill. This lack of privacy and safety is what residents are requesting the Slum Rehabilitation Authority to fix, which is yet to be done. Referring to the relocations, Kalyankar said, "Eligible residents of Shatabdi Nagar are being respectfully shifted to MHADA transit apartments. These temporary arrangements in the initial phase help us to fast-track the construction and delivery of rehab infrastructure." Once Shatabdi Nagar is vacated, NMDPL plans to erect commercial buildings here. The development firm claims it will deliver 1,25,000 homes within seven years....