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Over an extended period, threatening communications persisted. Originally, allegedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a former defense officer, and then from the police themselves. Finally, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh states he was summoned to the local precinct and warned explicitly: remain silent or experience severe repercussions.

This third-generation resident is part of a group fighting a expensive initiative where one of India's largest slums – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – will be demolished and transformed by a corporate giant.

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

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of Dharavi stand in sharp opposition to the towering buildings and elite residences that loom over the neighborhood. Homes are constructed informally and frequently lacking adequate facilities, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the air is filled with the unpleasant stench of open sewers.

To some, the prospect of Dharavi transformed into a developed area of premium apartments, well-maintained green spaces, modern retail complexes and residences with multiple bathrooms is an aspirational dream come true.

"There's no proper healthcare, proper streets or sewage systems and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," explains a tea vendor, fifty-six, who relocated from southern India in the early eighties. "The only way is to clear the area and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

Yet certain residents, like the leather artisan, are resisting the plan.

All recognize that this community, historically ignored as an illegal encroachment, is in stark need investment and development. But they worry that this plan – without public consultation – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a luxury development, displacing the marginalized, migrant communities who have resided there since the late 1800s.

This involved these marginalized, migrant workers who established the empty marshland into a frequently examined example of local enterprise and commercial output, whose production is estimated at between a significant amount and a substantial sum a year, making it among the globe's biggest unofficial markets.

Relocation Worries

Out of about a million residents living in the crowded 220-hectare neighborhood, less than 50% will be able for replacement housing in the project, which is projected to take an extended timeframe to complete. The remainder will be moved to barren areas and salt plains on the far outskirts of Mumbai, potentially fragment a long-established neighborhood. Some will not get residences at all.

Those allowed to continue living in the neighborhood will be given units in high-rise buildings, a significant rupture from the organic, communal way of residing and operating that has maintained Dharavi for many years.

Commercial activities from clothing production to clay work and recycling are likely to decrease in quantity and be relocated to a specific "commercial zone" distant from people's residences.

Existential Threat

For those such as Shaikh, a craftsman and third generation inhabitant to reside in this community, the plan presents an existential threat. His informal, three-storey operation produces garments – sharp blazers, luxury coats, studded bomber jackets – marketed in high-end shops in south Mumbai and internationally.

Relatives dwells in the rooms underneath and laborers and sewers – laborers from north India – reside on-site, enabling him to sustain operations. Outside the slum, housing costs are often tenfold more expensive for minimal space.

Threats and Warning

In the government offices nearby, an illustrated mock-up of the Dharavi project illustrates an alternative vision for the future. Well-groomed inhabitants move around on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, acquiring western-style baked goods and breakfast items and having coffee on an outdoor area near a coffee shop and treat station. This represents a world away from the affordable idli sambar breakfast and low-cost tea that sustains the neighborhood.

"This represents no development for our community," explains the artisan. "It represents an enormous property transaction that will render it impossible for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's concern of the business conglomerate. Managed by an influential industrialist – one of India's most powerful and an associate of the government head – the business group has faced accusations of preferential treatment and ethical concerns, which it rejects.

Even as the state government labels it a collaborative effort, the business group paid nearly a billion dollars for its majority share. A case claiming that the redevelopment was questionably assigned to the developer is under review in India's supreme court.

Sustained Harassment

From when they initiated to actively protest the development, Shaikh and other residents state they have been experienced an extended period of harassment and intimidation – including messages, direct threats and suggestions that opposing the project was equivalent to anti-national sentiment – by figures they claim represent the corporate group.

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