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Across several weeks, intimidating messages continued. At first, allegedly from a former police officer and a former defense officer, subsequently from the authorities. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to the police station and told clearly: stop speaking out or face serious consequences.

The leather artisan is among those fighting a multimillion-dollar initiative where this historic settlement – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – faces razed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is unparalleled in the world," says the resident. "However they want to destroy our community and stop us speaking out."

Opposing Environments

The cramped lanes of the slum present a dramatic difference to the high-rise structures and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the neighborhood. Dwellings are assembled randomly and often without proper sanitation, small-scale operations produce dangerous fumes and the atmosphere is saturated with the unpleasant stench of open sewers.

Among some individuals, the promise of Dharavi transformed into a modern district of premium apartments, neat parks, shiny shopping centers and homes with multiple bathrooms is a hopeful vision realized.

"There's no proper healthcare, proper streets or drainage and we have no places for children to play," says a chai seller, in his fifties, who migrated from his home state in that period. "The single option is to tear it all down and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

Yet certain residents, including this protester, are fighting against the plan.

None deny that Dharavi, historically ignored as an illegal encroachment, is urgently needing economic input and modernization. However they worry that this plan – without public consultation – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a playground for the rich, forcing out the marginalized, immigrant populations who have lived there since the late 1800s.

It was these shunned, migrant workers who developed the uninhabited area into a widely studied marvel of self-reliance and economic productivity, whose output is estimated at between a significant amount and a substantial sum per year, making it one of the world's largest informal economies.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about 1 million inhabitants living in the dense sprawling neighborhood, a minority will be qualified for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take a significant period to accomplish. Others will be relocated to barren areas and saline fields on the remote edges of Mumbai, risking break up a historic community. Certain individuals will be denied residences at all.

Those allowed to continue living in the neighborhood will be given units in high-rise buildings, a significant rupture from the evolved, communal way of residing and operating that has supported this area for so long.

Commercial activities from tailoring to ceramic crafts and material recovery are projected to decrease in quantity and be moved to a specific "commercial zone" far from people's residences.

Existential Threat

For those such as Shaikh, a craftsman and third generation resident to live in this community, the redevelopment presents an existential threat. His makeshift, three-floor operation makes garments – formal jackets, luxury coats, studded bomber jackets – sold in high-end shops in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Relatives dwells in the spaces underneath and employees and tailors – workers from north India – reside there, permitting him to manage costs. Away from Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are typically 10 times costlier for basic accommodation.

Threats and Warning

Within the administrative buildings nearby, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan shows an alternative outlook. Well-groomed people mill about on bicycles and e-vehicles, purchasing continental bread and croissants and socializing on an outdoor area adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and treat station. This represents a stark contrast from the 20-rupee idli sambar morning meal and 5-rupee chai that sustains Dharavi's community.

"This represents no development for our community," explains the protester. "This constitutes a huge land development that will price people out for our community to continue."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Headed by a powerful tycoon – one of India's most powerful and an associate of the national leader – the business group has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and financial impropriety, which it rejects.

Although administrative bodies describes it as a collaborative effort, the corporation contributed $950m for its controlling interest. A lawsuit stating that the project was improperly granted to the developer is under review in the top court.

Continued Intimidation

After they started to actively protest the development, local opponents claim they have been faced a long-running campaign of coercion and warning – including messages, direct threats and insinuations that criticizing the project was tantamount to speaking against the country – by people they claim work for the corporate group.

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