Covid crisis in slums should be a wake up call for Mumbai, says Ratan Tata

The coronavirus pandemic should be a wake-up call for the planners and administrators of Mumbai's slums, Ratan Tata has said.
The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group slammed housing policies which have given rise to such slum-dominated neighbourhoods.

Speaking at a virtual panel discussion on the “Future of design and construction” organised by CorpGini, Tata said the outbreak had served to underscore a crisis in housing which deprived lakhs of Mumbai’s residents of fresh air and open space.

He highlighted that, "for the first time, the close proximity and low value structures that we have built are the cause of new problems. The last few months have taught us that we're suffering from close proximity".

"The corona issue is a wake-up call of what beholds us and what our concern is as it turns around us and holds us back. I think there should be a re-examination of what we consider to have acceptable standards in terms of quality of life. Perhaps there ought to be a revision in terms of the fact that we are dealing with communities, we're dealing with populations that need to be a part of new India," he noted.

Mumbai's slums have emerged as hotbeds for Covid-19, and is adding to the rising cases of infections in the city. With Dharavi already in the spotlight for a steadily increasing the coronavirus count, other areas in the city like Worli Koliwada and Govandi have also emerged as virus clusters.

Dharavi, Asia's biggest slum, has touched 168 total Covid-19 cases, including 30 added on Monday, and 11 deaths till date.

On the issue of slums being relocated, Ratan Tata said, "We just go to affordable housing, slum elimination. We're trying to remove slums by moving them to another location, high value housing is being put over there. Slums are the residue; we're building a vertical slum.

"For the first time, the close proximity, low value structures that we have built are the cause of new problems. The last few months have taught us that we're suffering from close proximity. We have the image we want to project of ourselves and there's a part we want to hide. We have social responsibilities as architects and builders."

He further said: "We are creating a community which we're ashamed of. We should be really driven by the desire of creating, it creates a world culture.

"I think the happenings of the last few months have should have been a wake-up call for us. We have been humbled to realise that a disease could run across the globe, totally changing the dimension of how we are and what we do."