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Over an extended period, threatening communications recurred. At first, supposedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, subsequently from law enforcement directly. In the end, one resident claims he was called to the police station and instructed bluntly: remain silent or encounter real trouble.

Shaikh is part of a group opposing a multimillion-dollar initiative where one of India's largest slums – a massive informal community with rich history – faces bulldozed and transformed by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is exceptional in the planet," says the resident. "However the plan aims to eradicate our social fabric and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The narrow alleys of the slum sit in stark contrast to the high-rise structures and elite residences that dominate the neighborhood. Homes are assembled randomly and often without proper sanitation, small-scale operations produce dangerous fumes and the environment is saturated with the overpowering odor of exposed drainage.

To some, the promise of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of luxury high-rises, neat parks, shiny shopping centers and homes with proper sanitation is an aspirational dream realized.

"We don't have adequate medical facilities, proper streets or sewage systems and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," says a tea vendor, 56, who migrated from southern India in 1982. "The single option is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Local Protest

However, some, such as Shaikh, are resisting the project.

All recognize that Dharavi, long neglected as informal housing, is desperately requiring economic input and modernization. Yet they worry that this initiative – without public consultation – could potentially transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a luxury development, forcing out the disadvantaged, immigrant populations who have lived there since generations ago.

These were these shunned, displaced people who developed the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of community resilience and business activity, whose production is estimated at between $1m and two million dollars per year, making it a major informal economies.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about 1 million residents living in the packed sprawling area, fewer than half will be qualified for new homes in the development, which is expected to take an extended timeframe to complete. The remainder will be moved to barren areas and saline fields on the far outskirts of the city, risking break up a historic neighborhood. Certain individuals will receive no homes at all.

Residents permitted to continue living in Dharavi will be allocated units in high-rise buildings, a significant rupture from the evolved, collective approach of dwelling and laboring that has sustained this area for generations.

Businesses from clothing production to ceramic crafts and waste processing are projected to decrease in quantity and be relocated to an allocated "business area" distant from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as Shaikh, a workshop owner and third generation of his family to call home Dharavi, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His rickety, three-floor workshop makes apparel – sharp blazers, suede trenches, fashionable garments – marketed in luxury boutiques in the city's affluent areas and overseas.

Household members resides in the accommodations underneath and his workers and tailors – workers from other states – also sleep on-site, allowing him to sustain operations. Away from this community, accommodation prices are often significantly more expensive for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

In the official facilities nearby, a conceptual model of the transformation initiative shows a contrasting perspective. Fashionable inhabitants mill about on two-wheelers and electric vehicles, buying international baked goods and breakfast items and having coffee on a terrace outside a restaurant and Ice-Cream. It is a complete departure from the inexpensive idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that sustains Dharavi's community.

"This isn't development for our community," says the artisan. "It represents a massive property transaction that will make it unaffordable for residents to remain."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Headed by a prominent businessman – a leading figure and an associate of the national leader – the corporation has encountered allegations of crony capitalism and financial impropriety, which it rejects.

While local authorities describes it as a partnership, the corporation contributed a significant amount for its controlling interest. A case claiming that the redevelopment was unfairly awarded to the corporation is pending in the top court.

Ongoing Pressure

After they started to vocally oppose the project, local opponents state they have been subjected to an extended period of coercion and warning – involving communications, direct threats and insinuations that opposing the initiative was tantamount to opposing national interests – by individuals they allege work for the corporate group.

Part of the group alleged to have issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c