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For months, intimidating phone calls continued. At first, reportedly from a former police officer and a former defense officer, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, one resident claims he was ordered to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: keep quiet or experience severe repercussions.

The leather artisan is part of a group resisting a expensive initiative where Dharavi – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – is scheduled to be demolished and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is like nowhere else in the planet," states the protester. "Yet the plan aims to destroy our community and silence our voices."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of this community sit in stark contrast to the soaring skyscrapers and elite residences that loom over the settlement. Residences are constructed informally and frequently without proper sanitation, small-scale operations emit toxic smoke and the atmosphere is saturated with the overpowering odor of open sewers.

To some, the vision of Dharavi transformed into a developed area of high-end towers, well-maintained green spaces, shiny shopping centers and apartments with multiple bathrooms is an aspirational dream achieved.

"We lack proper healthcare, proper streets or sewage systems and there's nowhere for youth to recreate," says a chai seller, 56, who moved from Tamil Nadu in that period. "The single option is to tear it all down and provide modern residences."

Local Protest

Yet certain residents, like Shaikh, are opposing the plan.

None deny that Dharavi, historically ignored as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring economic input and modernization. Yet they worry that this plan – lacking resident participation – is one that will transform valuable urban land into an elite enclave, evicting the disadvantaged, migrant communities who have lived there since the late 1800s.

It was these excluded, migrant workers who built up the vacant wetlands into an extensively researched phenomenon of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose economic value is valued at between a significant amount and two million dollars a year, making it one of the world's largest informal economies.

Relocation Worries

Among approximately one million people living in the dense 220-hectare area, fewer than half will be qualified for replacement housing in the project, which is projected to take an extended timeframe to finish. Others will be moved to wastelands and salt plains on the distant periphery of the metropolis, risking fragment a historic neighborhood. Some will be denied residences at all.

People eligible to stay in the neighborhood will be given flats in tower blocks, a major break from the natural, collective approach of residing and operating that has supported Dharavi for generations.

Industries from clothing production to clay work and recycling are expected to reduce in scale and be transferred to a designated "business area" distant from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as this protester, a workshop owner and long-time resident to reside in this community, the plan presents an existential threat. His informal, three-floor operation makes apparel – sharp blazers, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – marketed in high-end shops in the city's affluent areas and overseas.

Household members dwells in the accommodations underneath and his workers and sewers – workers from north India – reside there, permitting him to manage costs. Away from this community, Mumbai rents are typically significantly more expensive for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

In the administrative buildings close by, a conceptual model of the Dharavi project shows an alternative outlook. Slickly dressed inhabitants mill about on bicycles and e-vehicles, acquiring western-style bread and croissants and having coffee on a patio outside a coffee shop and dessert parlor. This depicts a stark contrast from the affordable idli sambar first meal and budget beverage that sustains local residents.

"This is not progress for residents," says the artisan. "It's a massive property transaction that will render it impossible for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's concern of the corporate group. Run by a prominent businessman – among the country's wealthiest and a close ally of the Indian prime minister – the corporation has faced accusations of favoritism and ethical concerns, which it rejects.

While local authorities describes it as a partnership, the corporation invested $950m for its 80% stake. A lawsuit alleging that the project was unfairly awarded to the business group is being considered in the top court.

Continued Intimidation

After they started to publicly resist the redevelopment, protesters and community members state they have been subjected to an extended period of coercion and warning – including communications, explicit warnings and suggestions that speaking against the project was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by people they assert are associated with the corporate group.

Among those accused of issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c