Adani Navbharat Developers Private Limited (ANDPL), the special purpose vehicle driving the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), on Tuesday, 21 July unveiled 'Dharavi Didi' — a round-the-clock, AI-powered interactive platform designed to give residents of Dharavi, Mumbai direct access to official and verified information about one of India's largest urban redevelopment undertakings. The platform marks a significant shift in how the project communicates with its vast and linguistically diverse resident base.

What Dharavi Didi Does

The AI assistant is accessible via video calls, voice calls, and WhatsApp, offering instant responses in Hindi, Marathi, and English. ANDPL has said support for Tamil, Telugu, and Gujarati will be added in the coming months, reflecting the multilingual character of Dharavi's population.

Residents can query the platform on a range of critical concerns — whether their homes have been surveyed, their eligibility for rehabilitation, documentation requirements, and expected timelines for receiving new homes. The interface has been built with simplicity in mind, specifically to accommodate first-time digital users.

Why It Was Needed

Until the launch of Dharavi Didi, many residents reportedly relied on informal conversations and unverified sources for project-related information, leading to widespread confusion and misinformation. The DRP is one of India's most complex urban renewal exercises, involving a large and densely settled population with varied documentation histories and eligibility criteria.

ANDPL said the platform complements its existing Information, Education and Communication (IEC) outreach programmes by extending official engagement beyond field visits and fixed office hours. This means residents no longer need to wait for working hours to get authoritative answers.

What the Company Said

'Whether residents want to understand surveys, eligibility, required documents or project updates, Dharavi Didi is available round the clock to provide clear answers in a simple and conversational manner. Alongside our ongoing IEC initiatives, this is another step towards making authentic information easily accessible to every Dharavikar,' an ANDPL official said.

The official added: 'Our objective is to ensure that every resident has direct access to accurate and verified information. Dharavi Didi is designed to answer questions with clarity, build confidence through transparency and help residents make informed decisions throughout the redevelopment journey.'

The Significance of the Name

The name 'Dharavi Didi' — meaning 'elder sister of Dharavi' — was chosen deliberately to reflect the platform's intended role as a patient, trusted guide for residents navigating what ANDPL describes as one of the most significant transitions in their lives. The framing is notable: rather than positioning the tool as a corporate helpline, the company has cast it as a community figure.

What Comes Next

With additional language support and broader IEC integration on the horizon, the platform is expected to deepen its reach across Dharavi's diverse communities. The DRP itself continues to gather pace, and the ability to deliver verified information at scale will be critical as more residents enter the survey and eligibility verification stages.