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Over an extended period, intimidating communications recurred. Originally, reportedly from a former police officer and a former defense officer, later from law enforcement directly. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh states he was called to law enforcement headquarters and warned explicitly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

Shaikh is part of a group resisting a expensive initiative where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – is scheduled to be bulldozed and modernized by a corporate giant.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is exceptional in the planet," states the protester. "But their intention is to dismantle our social fabric and stop us speaking out."

Opposing Environments

The dank gullies of the slum stand in sharp opposition to the high-rise structures and elite residences that loom over the neighborhood. Homes are built haphazardly and typically without proper sanitation, small-scale operations produce dangerous fumes and the atmosphere is permeated by the suffocating smell of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the vision of the slum's redevelopment into a developed area of luxury high-rises, organized recreational areas, modern retail complexes and apartments with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future realized.

"We don't have proper healthcare, roads or sewage systems and we have no places for children to play," explains a chai seller, 56, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in 1982. "The single option is to demolish everything and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

However, some, like Shaikh, are resisting the redevelopment.

All recognize that this community, long neglected as unauthorized settlement, is in stark need economic input and modernization. Yet they are concerned that this project – absent of public consultation – might convert premium city property into a playground for the rich, displacing the lower-caste, migrant communities who have lived there since generations ago.

These were these marginalized, relocated individuals who built up the vacant wetlands into a frequently examined example of self-reliance and economic productivity, whose output is worth between one million dollars and $2m a year, making it one of the world's largest informal economies.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly 1 million people living in the dense 220-hectare neighborhood, less than 50% will be able for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is projected to take seven years to complete. The remainder will be relocated to barren areas and saline fields on the remote edges of the city, threatening to break up a generations-old community. Certain individuals will receive no residences at all.

Those allowed to continue living in the area will be provided units in tower blocks, a substantial change from the natural, shared lifestyle of dwelling and laboring that has maintained Dharavi for so long.

Industries from tailoring to clay work and recycling are projected to shrink in number and be moved to a designated "business area" far from homes.

Existential Threat

For residents like the leather artisan, a craftsman and third generation resident to live in this community, the project presents an existential threat. His makeshift, three-storey operation creates leather coats – formal jackets, suede trenches, fashionable garments – sold in premium stores in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Household members lives in the spaces below and his workers and sewers – migrants from other states – live there, allowing him to afford their labour. Outside the slum, Mumbai rents are typically significantly as high for a single room.

Pressure and Coercion

Within the official facilities close by, a conceptual model of the transformation initiative shows a contrasting outlook. Well-groomed residents gather on cycles and electric vehicles, buying continental baked goods and croissants and enlisting beverages on a terrace near a restaurant and dessert parlor. It is a world away from the affordable idli sambar morning meal and 5-rupee chai that supports Dharavi's community.

"This represents no improvement for us," explains the protester. "This constitutes a massive property transaction that will make it unaffordable for us to survive."

Additionally, there exists skepticism of the development company. Managed by a prominent businessman – one of India's most powerful and a supporter of the Indian prime minister – the business group has encountered allegations of favoritism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

Although administrative bodies labels it a partnership, the developer paid $950m for its 80% stake. Legal proceedings alleging that the redevelopment was unfairly awarded to the developer is under review in the nation's highest judicial body.

Continued Intimidation

After they started to vocally oppose the redevelopment, protesters and community members claim they have been subjected to a long-running campaign of coercion and warning – including messages, direct threats and insinuations that opposing the initiative was comparable with anti-national sentiment – by individuals they claim are associated with the developer.

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