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Across several weeks, coercive messages continued. Originally, reportedly from a former police officer and an ex-military commander, and then from the authorities. Ultimately, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to the local precinct and told clearly: keep quiet or experience severe repercussions.

Shaikh is one of many fighting a multimillion-dollar project where this historic settlement – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – is scheduled to be razed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is unparalleled in the planet," explains the protester. "But the plan aims to eradicate our social fabric and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The narrow alleys of Dharavi sit in stark contrast to the towering buildings and Bollywood penthouses that loom over the area. Dwellings are constructed informally and often without proper sanitation, small-scale operations emit toxic smoke and the atmosphere is filled with the overpowering odor of exposed drainage.

For certain residents, the promise of Dharavi transformed into a modern district of luxury high-rises, neat parks, contemporary malls and residences with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future come true.

"We don't have adequate medical facilities, proper streets or water management and there's nowhere for children to play," states a chai seller, fifty-six, who relocated from southern India in the early eighties. "The sole solution is to demolish everything and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

However, some, like the leather artisan, are resisting the project.

All recognize that the slum, consistently overlooked as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring economic input and modernization. Yet they are concerned that this initiative – without resident participation – might turn premium city property into an elite enclave, forcing out the lower-caste, working-class residents who have lived there since the nineteenth century.

These were these excluded, displaced people who developed the uninhabited area into a frequently examined example of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose production is estimated at between $1m and two million dollars a year, making it one of the world's largest unregulated sectors.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about a million residents living in the packed 2.2 square kilometer neighborhood, a minority will be eligible for new homes in the development, which is projected to take an extended timeframe to complete. The remainder will be relocated to undeveloped zones and salt plains on the distant periphery of Mumbai, potentially divide a generations-old neighborhood. Some will receive no residences at all.

People eligible to continue living in the neighborhood will be given units in multi-story structures, a substantial change from the evolved, communal way of residing and operating that has supported Dharavi for many years.

Businesses from clothing production to clay work and waste processing are likely to shrink in number and be transferred to a specific "business area" separated from residential areas.

Survival Challenge

In the case of the leather artisan, a craftsman and multi-generational inhabitant to call home this community, the redevelopment presents a survival challenge. His informal, multi-level facility creates apparel – sharp blazers, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – distributed in high-end shops in south Mumbai and abroad.

His family lives in the accommodations underneath and employees and sewers – workers from different regions – also sleep on-site, enabling him to afford their labour. Away from Dharavi's enclave, accommodation prices are typically tenfold costlier for basic accommodation.

Pressure and Coercion

At the administrative buildings close by, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan illustrates a very different outlook. Well-groomed residents mill about on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, acquiring western-style baguettes and croissants and having coffee on an outdoor area near Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. It is a world away from the affordable idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that supports Dharavi's community.

"This isn't improvement for residents," states the protester. "It represents a huge property transaction that will make it unaffordable for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the business conglomerate. Run by a prominent businessman – one of India's most powerful and a supporter of the government head – the business group has faced accusations of preferential treatment and financial impropriety, which it disputes.

Although administrative bodies labels it a partnership, the developer invested a significant amount for its 80% stake. A case alleging that the project was improperly granted to the developer is being considered in the nation's highest judicial body.

Ongoing Pressure

From when they initiated to actively protest the development, Shaikh and other residents assert they have been experienced ongoing efforts of harassment and intimidation – comprising communications, clear intimidation and implications that criticizing the initiative was comparable with speaking against the country – by people they assert are associated with the corporate group.

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