ADANI Group is set to begin mapping Asia’s largest slum, a highly valuable area at the heart of Mumbai that the port-to-power conglomerate will redevelop starting Mar 18.

The firm will collect data from hundreds of thousands of Dharavi residents, to determine their rehabilitation needs under the initiative Dharavi Redevelopment Project, a joint venture between the Maharashtra state government and Adani, the company shared in a statement on Monday (Mar 11).

The survey, which will create the world’s first digital map of a vast informal settlement using laser mapping technology, will kickstart Adani’s efforts to make India’s financial capital slum free, the spokesperson for the joint venture said in the statement.

Billionaire Gautam Adani’s bid to revamp Dharavi has received considerable attention due to the slum’s popularity as a tourist destination and backdrop to multiple films, including 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire. However, the tycoon also faces considerable political opposition and legal hurdles to completing the renovation, which has been discussed for decades with little progress.

The survey will begin from the Kamla Raman Nagar area, with a unique number being given to each home followed by laser mapping of the respective lane, known as ‘Lidar Survey.’

Adani in January said it will give homes to residents in Mumbai’s Dharavi that are 17 per cent larger than in previous proposals to woo residents and ward off any potential protests or disruptions. Redeveloping Dharavi, where eight people at times live in a 100-square-feet shanty and 80 share a toilet, is going to test Adani’s project execution abilities.

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Adani Group will team up with Indian architect Hafeez Contractor, American design firm Sasaki and UK-based consultancy firm Buro Happold to redevelop Dharavi. BLOOMBERG