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Over an extended period, threatening messages recurred. Originally, allegedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a retired army general, and then from the authorities. In the end, one resident claims he was ordered to law enforcement headquarters and warned explicitly: keep quiet or encounter real trouble.

This third-generation resident is part of a group resisting a high-value redevelopment plan where one of India's largest slums – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – faces demolished and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The distinctive community of the slum is unparalleled in the globe," states Shaikh. "But the plan aims to dismantle our way of life and stop us speaking out."

Opposing Environments

The cramped lanes of the slum sit in stark contrast to the high-rise structures and luxury apartments that overshadow the area. Residences are built haphazardly and often missing basic amenities, informal businesses emit toxic smoke and the air is permeated by the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the vision of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of luxury high-rises, neat parks, contemporary malls and homes with two toilets is a hopeful vision come true.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, roads or water management and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," states a tea vendor, 56, who relocated from Tamil Nadu in 1982. "The single option is to tear it all down and build us new homes."

Community Resistance

Yet certain residents, like Shaikh, are opposing the plan.

None deny that this community, historically ignored as unauthorized settlement, is in stark need financial support and improvement. But they are concerned that this project – lacking public consultation – is one that will turn premium city property into an elite enclave, forcing out the lower-caste, working-class residents who have been there since the late 1800s.

These were these shunned, displaced people who developed the empty marshland into a frequently examined example of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose production is estimated at between $1m and two million dollars per year, making it a major unregulated sectors.

Displacement Concerns

Of the roughly 1 million inhabitants living in the packed 2.2 square kilometer area, less than 50% will be able for alternative accommodation in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take seven years to finish. The remainder will be transferred to barren areas and saline fields on the far outskirts of the metropolis, risking divide a historic community. Some will receive no homes at all.

Those allowed to remain in the neighborhood will be given units in tower blocks, a substantial change from the natural, collective approach of living and working that has supported Dharavi for generations.

Industries from garment work to pottery and waste processing are expected to decrease in quantity and be relocated to an allocated "business area" separated from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as the leather artisan, a leather artisan and multi-generational of his family to reside in the slum, the redevelopment presents a fundamental risk. His makeshift, multi-level operation produces leather coats – sharp blazers, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – sold in premium stores in south Mumbai and internationally.

Household members dwells in the accommodations below and his workers and tailors – migrants from different regions – reside on-site, allowing him to sustain operations. Away from the slum, Mumbai rents are frequently significantly more expensive for basic accommodation.

Harassment and Intimidation

In the administrative buildings close by, a conceptual model of the Dharavi project shows an alternative vision for the future. Well-groomed residents mill about on bicycles and electric vehicles, acquiring international baked goods and croissants and enlisting beverages on a patio adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and dessert parlor. It is a complete departure from the 20-rupee idli sambar breakfast and budget beverage that supports local residents.

"This isn't progress for us," explains Shaikh. "It represents a massive land development that will render it impossible for us to survive."

There is also skepticism of the corporate group. Managed by a powerful tycoon – among the country's wealthiest and a close ally of the national leader – the corporation has faced accusations of preferential treatment and financial impropriety, which it rejects.

Even as administrative bodies describes it as a partnership, the business group contributed $950m for its majority share. A lawsuit alleging that the project was improperly granted to the corporation is being considered in India's supreme court.

Sustained Harassment

After they started to vocally oppose the development, protesters and community members state they have been faced an extended period of pressure and threats – comprising phone calls, explicit warnings and insinuations that opposing the development was comparable with speaking against the country – by figures they claim work for the developer.

Among those accused of issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c