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Over an extended period, intimidating phone calls persisted. Initially, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, later from the authorities. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh states he was ordered to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: remain silent or experience severe repercussions.

The leather artisan is among those resisting a multimillion-dollar initiative where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – is scheduled to be razed and redeveloped by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is like nowhere else in the world," states the protester. "However the plan aims to destroy our way of life and silence our voices."

Opposing Environments

The narrow alleys of the slum stand in sharp opposition to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that dominate the settlement. Dwellings are constructed informally and often without proper sanitation, informal businesses release harmful emissions and the atmosphere is permeated by the overpowering odor of exposed drainage.

To some, the vision of the slum's redevelopment into a developed area of high-end towers, neat parks, shiny shopping centers and homes with proper sanitation is an optimistic future achieved.

"We don't have proper healthcare, paved pathways or drainage and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," states A Selvin Nadar, 56, who moved from his home state in 1982. "The single option is to demolish everything and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

However, some, like this protester, are fighting against the project.

None deny that this community, long neglected as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. Yet they are concerned that this initiative – absent of public consultation – could potentially convert premium city property into a playground for the rich, evicting the disadvantaged, working-class residents who have resided there since generations ago.

It was these excluded, relocated individuals who built up the vacant wetlands into a frequently examined example of self-reliance and business activity, whose economic value is worth between one million dollars and a substantial sum annually, making it a major informal economies.

Relocation Worries

Out of about one million inhabitants living in the packed 220-hectare neighborhood, a minority will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the project, which is projected to take a significant period to finish. Additional residents will be transferred to undeveloped zones and saline fields on the distant periphery of the metropolis, potentially fragment a historic neighborhood. Some will be denied housing at all.

Those allowed to remain in the area will be provided flats in tower blocks, a substantial change from the evolved, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has maintained Dharavi for so long.

Commercial activities from clothing production to clay work and recycling are likely to decrease in quantity and be moved to a specific "industrial sector" separated from homes.

Livelihood Crisis

In the case of this protester, a workshop owner and multi-generational inhabitant to live in this community, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His makeshift, multi-level facility produces garments – tailored coats, luxury coats, fashionable garments – distributed in premium stores in south Mumbai and overseas.

Household members lives in the spaces downstairs and employees and sewers – laborers from different regions – reside in the same building, permitting him to afford their labour. Outside the slum, Mumbai rents are frequently tenfold costlier for minimal space.

Threats and Warning

Within the government offices nearby, an illustrated mock-up of the transformation initiative depicts a contrasting vision for the future. Well-groomed residents mill about on bicycles and electric vehicles, purchasing western-style baguettes and pastries and socializing on a terrace near a restaurant and dessert parlor. This represents a world away from the affordable idli sambar morning meal and budget beverage that sustains Dharavi's community.

"This represents no development for us," states the protester. "This constitutes an enormous property transaction that will render it impossible for us to survive."

There is also skepticism of the corporate group. Run by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a close ally of the Indian prime minister – the business group has encountered allegations of crony capitalism and questionable practices, which it denies.

While local authorities labels it a partnership, the corporation contributed a significant amount for its controlling interest. A lawsuit stating that the initiative was unfairly awarded to the developer is being considered in the top court.

Sustained Harassment

After they started to vocally oppose the redevelopment, protesters and community members claim they have been experienced a long-running campaign of pressure and threats – comprising phone calls, direct threats and implications that opposing the initiative was comparable with opposing national interests – by individuals they claim represent the business conglomerate.

Part of the group accused of making intimidations is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c