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Speaking at the fifth edition of the Ideas of India hosted by ABP Network, Prem Adani said his early years in Mumbai shaped his understanding of the city’s spirit, describing its people as resilient and driven by ambition.

“Mere bachpan mei kaafi saal Mumbai mei guzaare the,” he said. “Mumbaikars are full of resilience. Mumbai is a city of dreams.”

He added that this character continues to define the city. “One thing that I still see is that the people are still full of resilience and dreams and are very entrepreneurial.”

Connectivity Driving Mumbai’s Growth

Adani credited Maharashtra’s leadership and infrastructure expansion for improving mobility across the city.

“We have to give credit to the leadership that we have in Maharashtra, there have been several changes in Mumbai lately, getting from one place to another is easier,” he said.

Highlighting the constraints of Mumbai’s geography, he noted, “Rahi baat concrete jungle ki toh Mumbai is an island city and the only way for Mumbai to grow is through connectivity.”

He pointed to aviation infrastructure as a key example of progress. “Pehle there was one airport and now we have two airports. So the ease of moving around is much better.”

A Long-Term Restructuring Project

Speaking about the redevelopment of Dharavi, Adani described it as the world’s largest urban redevelopment initiative.

“Dharavi is the world's largest urban redevelopment project. Dharavi ke andar 10 lakh log rehte hain aaj ki date mei and they have commercial establishments,” he said.

He emphasised that the project goes beyond conventional real estate development. “We are blessed as a group to have the opportunity to bring a change to their lives because humare liye yeh project ek real estate project hai nai. It's a restructuring project which is going to last in excess of 15–20 years.”

He added that construction work itself would take seven years, while the broader vision would extend much longer. “The redevelopment or construction will happen in 7 years. But then the other sale buildings and the whole city that we are planning to build and mind you this is a whole city in itself, there will be retail, housing, movie theatres, hospitals, everything including the look and feel will change.”

Calling it an inclusive initiative, he said, “This is an inclusive project and the people of Dharavi are the most important for us.”

Focus On Dignity And Opportunity

Adani said the project’s core objective is social transformation and empowerment.

“Firstly, the purpose is to give a better life to our fellow Indians,” he said. “Second, it is to give them a life of dignity and when I say dignity I don't mean it in any other manner but opportunities. They are so hungry for opportunities.”

He reiterated that the redevelopment aims to improve living conditions while enabling long-term economic and social mobility for residents.