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Over an extended period, intimidating phone calls persisted. At first, supposedly from a retired cop and a former defense officer, and then from law enforcement directly. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to the local precinct and warned explicitly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is part of a group opposing a expensive redevelopment plan where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – faces demolished and transformed by a large business group.

"The culture of the slum is unparalleled in the planet," says the resident. "But their intention is to dismantle our social fabric and silence our voices."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of this community present a dramatic difference to the towering buildings and elite residences that dominate the area. Dwellings are constructed informally and often without proper sanitation, unregulated industries release harmful emissions and the environment is permeated by the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

To some, the promise of Dharavi transformed into a glistening neighborhood of luxury high-rises, organized recreational areas, shiny shopping centers and residences with proper sanitation is a hopeful vision achieved.

"We lack sufficient health services, paved pathways or water management and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," explains A Selvin Nadar, in his fifties, who migrated from southern India in the early eighties. "The sole solution is to tear it all down and provide modern residences."

Community Resistance

But others, like the leather artisan, are opposing the plan.

All recognize that this community, long neglected as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing economic input and modernization. However they worry that this project – without public consultation – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a playground for the rich, forcing out the disadvantaged, working-class residents who have been there since the late 1800s.

This involved these marginalized, relocated individuals who built up the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of community resilience and commercial output, whose output is valued at between $1m and two million dollars per year, making it among the globe's biggest unofficial markets.

Resettlement Issues

Among approximately one million inhabitants living in the packed 220-hectare area, fewer than half will be eligible for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is expected to take an extended timeframe to finish. Additional residents will be relocated to wastelands and salt plains on the distant periphery of the city, risking break up a generations-old neighborhood. A portion will be denied residences at all.

Those allowed to remain in Dharavi will be allocated flats in multi-story structures, a substantial change from the evolved, collective approach of residing and operating that has sustained Dharavi for so long.

Businesses from tailoring to pottery and waste processing are projected to decrease in quantity and be relocated to a specific "business area" distant from homes.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as Shaikh, a workshop owner and long-time inhabitant to call home this community, the plan presents an existential threat. His makeshift, multi-level facility creates garments – sharp blazers, premium outerwear, fashionable garments – sold in high-end shops in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Household members dwells in the accommodations underneath and employees and tailors – workers from other states – also sleep on-site, permitting him to sustain operations. Outside this community, housing costs are frequently tenfold costlier for a single room.

Pressure and Coercion

Within the official facilities close by, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan shows a very different vision for the future. Well-groomed inhabitants gather on two-wheelers and eco-friendly transport, purchasing international baguettes and pastries and enlisting beverages on a patio adjacent to a restaurant and dessert parlor. This represents a complete departure from the 20-rupee idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that supports Dharavi's community.

"This represents no improvement for us," explains Shaikh. "It's a huge land development that will price people out for residents to remain."

Additionally, there exists distrust of the business conglomerate. Headed by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a close ally of the government head – the business group has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

While the state government calls it a joint project, the corporation contributed a significant amount for its controlling interest. Legal proceedings stating that the initiative was unfairly awarded to the corporation is under review in India's supreme court.

Continued Intimidation

From when they initiated to actively protest the project, Shaikh and other residents assert they have been experienced a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – comprising communications, clear intimidation and insinuations that speaking against the project was comparable with anti-national sentiment – by figures they allege work for the developer.

Part of the group suspected of delivering warnings is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c