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Over an extended period, coercive communications continued. Initially, reportedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, and then from law enforcement directly. Ultimately, a local artisan states he was ordered to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: keep quiet or face serious consequences.

The leather artisan is part of a group fighting a multimillion-dollar initiative where Dharavi – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – is scheduled to be demolished and transformed by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of the slum is unparalleled in the world," says the resident. "But their intention is to destroy our community and stop us speaking out."

Opposing Environments

The cramped lanes of this community present a dramatic difference to the soaring skyscrapers and elite residences that loom over the neighborhood. Homes are constructed informally and often without proper sanitation, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the environment is saturated with the overpowering odor of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the prospect of Dharavi transformed into a glistening neighborhood of high-end towers, organized recreational areas, shiny shopping centers and residences with two toilets is an optimistic future come true.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, paved pathways or sewage systems and we have no places for youth to recreate," states A Selvin Nadar, fifty-six, who moved from his home state in 1982. "The single option is to tear it all down and provide modern residences."

Resident Opposition

Yet certain residents, such as Shaikh, are fighting against the redevelopment.

Everyone acknowledges that the slum, consistently overlooked as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing investment and development. However they fear that this project – absent of community input – could potentially transform premium city property into an elite enclave, evicting the marginalized, working-class residents who have been there since the nineteenth century.

These were these shunned, displaced people who developed the uninhabited area into a frequently examined example of local enterprise and business activity, whose economic value is worth between one million dollars and a substantial sum a year, making it among the globe's biggest unregulated sectors.

Displacement Concerns

Out of about 1 million residents living in the dense sprawling area, less than 50% will be able for replacement housing in the development, which is expected to take a significant period to complete. Others will be moved to barren areas and salt plains on the remote edges of the city, risking break up a historic community. A portion will not get residences at all.

Residents permitted to stay in Dharavi will be provided units in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the natural, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has maintained Dharavi for generations.

Commercial activities from garment work to ceramic crafts and material recovery are expected to shrink in number and be moved to an allocated "commercial zone" far from homes.

Existential Threat

For residents like this protester, a workshop owner and third generation resident to reside in Dharavi, the project presents an existential threat. His informal, three-floor operation creates apparel – formal jackets, luxury coats, decorated jackets – distributed in premium stores in the city's affluent areas and internationally.

Relatives resides in the rooms downstairs and his workers and sewers – laborers from other states – also sleep on-site, allowing him to sustain operations. Beyond Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are often significantly costlier for minimal space.

Threats and Warning

In the government offices nearby, a visual representation of the Dharavi project shows a very different perspective. Slickly dressed residents mill about on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, buying western-style baguettes and breakfast items and socializing on a terrace near a restaurant and Ice-Cream. This depicts a world away from the affordable idli sambar breakfast and low-cost tea that supports local residents.

"This is not development for us," explains Shaikh. "It's a massive land development that will price people out for us to survive."

Additionally, there exists concern of the business conglomerate. Managed by an influential industrialist – a leading figure and a supporter of the government head – the business group has faced accusations of crony capitalism and questionable practices, which it disputes.

Although administrative bodies calls it a collaborative effort, the corporation contributed $950m for its 80% stake. Legal proceedings alleging that the project was unfairly awarded to the developer is being considered in India's supreme court.

Sustained Harassment

After they started to publicly resist the development, Shaikh and other residents state they have been experienced a long-running campaign of pressure and threats – comprising messages, clear intimidation and insinuations that criticizing the initiative was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by individuals they allege represent the business conglomerate.

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