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Over an extended period, threatening phone calls persisted. At first, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, and then from law enforcement directly. Ultimately, one resident asserts he was called to the local precinct and told clearly: keep quiet or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is among those fighting a multimillion-dollar project where one of India's largest slums – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – is scheduled to be bulldozed and redeveloped by a multinational conglomerate.

"The distinctive community of this area is exceptional in the globe," says the resident. "However their intention is to eradicate our social fabric and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of this community present a dramatic difference to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that loom over the neighborhood. Residences are constructed informally and often missing basic amenities, informal businesses release harmful emissions and the atmosphere is permeated by the overpowering odor of uncovered waste channels.

To some, the vision of Dharavi transformed into a developed area of luxury high-rises, neat parks, contemporary malls and apartments with two toilets is an aspirational dream realized.

"There's no proper healthcare, roads or sewage systems and there's nowhere for children to play," explains a chai seller, fifty-six, who moved from Tamil Nadu in the early eighties. "The only way is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Local Protest

However, some, such as Shaikh, are resisting the redevelopment.

None deny that Dharavi, long neglected as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. Yet they fear that this project – without public consultation – is one that will transform valuable urban land into a playground for the rich, evicting the marginalized, migrant communities who have lived there since the late 1800s.

These were these excluded, relocated individuals who developed the uninhabited area into an extensively researched phenomenon of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose economic value is worth between $1m and a substantial sum per year, making it among the globe's biggest informal economies.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly 1 million residents living in the crowded sprawling zone, fewer than half will be qualified for new homes in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take a significant period to accomplish. Additional residents will be relocated to wastelands and saline fields on the far outskirts of the city, risking break up a historic social network. Certain individuals will not get residences at all.

Those allowed to continue living in Dharavi will be given apartments in tower blocks, a substantial change from the evolved, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has supported the community for many years.

Commercial activities from clothing production to clay work and recycling are likely to decrease in quantity and be moved to an allocated "industrial sector" far from residential areas.

Existential Threat

For those such as this protester, a leather artisan and third generation resident to live in Dharavi, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His rickety, multi-level operation makes garments – tailored coats, premium outerwear, decorated jackets – marketed in high-end shops in south Mumbai and overseas.

Relatives resides in the rooms downstairs and employees and garment workers – laborers from north India – live on-site, enabling him to afford their labour. Outside this community, accommodation prices are frequently tenfold as high for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

At the government offices close by, an illustrated mock-up of the transformation initiative illustrates an alternative vision for the future. Fashionable people gather on two-wheelers and eco-friendly transport, acquiring continental baked goods and breakfast items and enlisting beverages on a patio outside Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. It is a stark contrast from the inexpensive idli sambar breakfast and budget beverage that maintains the neighborhood.

"This is not development for residents," says Shaikh. "It represents an enormous real estate deal that will render it impossible for residents to remain."

Additionally, there exists distrust of the development company. Headed by a prominent businessman – a leading figure and a supporter of the Indian prime minister – the conglomerate has encountered allegations of favoritism and questionable practices, which it rejects.

Even as the state government describes it as a collaborative effort, the developer paid a significant amount for its controlling interest. A case stating that the project was unfairly awarded to the business group is under review in India's supreme court.

Continued Intimidation

From when they initiated to actively protest the project, Shaikh and other residents state they have been subjected to a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – comprising phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that opposing the project was equivalent to opposing national interests – by individuals they assert work for the corporate group.

Part of the group suspected of issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c