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Across several weeks, intimidating communications recurred. At first, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, a local artisan claims he was ordered to law enforcement headquarters and instructed bluntly: stop speaking out or encounter real trouble.

This third-generation resident is part of a group opposing a expensive initiative where this historic settlement – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – will be bulldozed and modernized by a large business group.

"The culture of Dharavi is unparalleled in the world," states Shaikh. "Yet their intention is to dismantle our community and prevent our protests."

Opposing Environments

The dank gullies of Dharavi stand in sharp opposition to the soaring skyscrapers and elite residences that overshadow the settlement. Homes are constructed informally and typically missing basic amenities, unregulated industries release harmful emissions and the atmosphere is filled with the suffocating smell of exposed drainage.

For certain residents, the prospect of the slum's redevelopment into a developed area of high-end towers, neat parks, shiny shopping centers and apartments with proper sanitation is a hopeful vision come true.

"There's no sufficient health services, paved pathways or drainage and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," states A Selvin Nadar, 56, who moved from his home state in that period. "The single option is to demolish everything and build us new homes."

Resident Opposition

However, some, like this protester, are resisting the redevelopment.

Everyone acknowledges that Dharavi, consistently overlooked as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing economic input and modernization. However they fear that this project – without resident participation – might turn a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a luxury development, forcing out the marginalized, migrant communities who have been there since the late 1800s.

This involved these marginalized, migrant workers who built up the uninhabited area into a widely studied marvel of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose production is estimated at between one million dollars and a substantial sum per year, making it one of the world's largest unofficial markets.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about 1 million people living in the packed 2.2 square kilometer area, less than 50% will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the redevelopment, which is expected to take a significant period to accomplish. Others will be relocated to wastelands and coastal regions on the far outskirts of the city, threatening to fragment a generations-old social network. A portion will not get housing at all.

Residents permitted to stay in the area will be provided units in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the organic, shared lifestyle of dwelling and laboring that has supported this area for many years.

Businesses from garment work to ceramic crafts and material recovery are likely to shrink in number and be relocated to an allocated "business area" separated from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

In the case of Shaikh, a leather artisan and long-time of his family to live in this community, the project presents a survival challenge. His rickety, three-storey workshop makes apparel – tailored coats, luxury coats, fashionable garments – distributed in premium stores in upscale neighborhoods and abroad.

His family lives in the spaces below and his workers and sewers – laborers from different regions – also sleep there, permitting him to afford their labour. Beyond the slum, accommodation prices are frequently 10 times as high for minimal space.

Harassment and Intimidation

At the government offices in the vicinity, a visual representation of the Dharavi project shows an alternative vision for the future. Well-groomed inhabitants move around on two-wheelers and eco-friendly transport, acquiring continental baguettes and croissants and enlisting beverages on an outdoor area adjacent to a restaurant and dessert parlor. This depicts a complete departure from the inexpensive idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that supports local residents.

"This represents no development for us," says the protester. "It represents an enormous land development that will render it impossible for us to survive."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the business conglomerate. Managed by an influential industrialist – a leading figure and a supporter of the national leader – the business group has faced accusations of favoritism and financial impropriety, which it rejects.

While administrative bodies labels it a collaborative effort, the developer paid a significant amount for its controlling interest. A lawsuit stating that the redevelopment was questionably assigned to the corporation is pending in the top court.

Ongoing Pressure

From when they initiated to actively protest the development, Shaikh and other residents assert they have been subjected to a long-running campaign of pressure and threats – including phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that speaking against the initiative was equivalent to opposing national interests – by individuals they allege work for the corporate group.

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