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Over an extended period, coercive phone calls recurred. At first, allegedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, a local artisan claims he was ordered to the police station and warned explicitly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is part of a group fighting a multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – will be demolished and transformed by a large business group.

"The culture of this area is like nowhere else in the globe," states the resident. "But they want to dismantle our way of life and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The narrow alleys of the slum stand in sharp opposition to the soaring skyscrapers and elite residences that overshadow the settlement. Homes are built haphazardly and typically without proper sanitation, unregulated industries emit toxic smoke and the air is saturated with the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the vision of Dharavi transformed into a glistening neighborhood of luxury high-rises, well-maintained green spaces, shiny shopping centers and apartments with proper sanitation is an aspirational dream realized.

"We lack proper healthcare, proper streets or sewage systems and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," says a tea vendor, 56, who migrated from his home state in that period. "The only way is to demolish everything and build us new homes."

Local Protest

Yet certain residents, including Shaikh, are resisting the project.

None deny that the slum, historically ignored as informal housing, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. Yet they worry that this plan – absent of community input – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a playground for the rich, displacing the marginalized, immigrant populations who have been there since the nineteenth century.

It was these shunned, migrant workers who established the uninhabited area into an extensively researched phenomenon of self-reliance and business activity, whose output is valued at between a significant amount and $2m annually, making it among the globe's biggest unregulated sectors.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly a million people living in the dense 2.2 square kilometer neighborhood, fewer than half will be eligible for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take seven years to finish. The remainder will be relocated to barren areas and salt plains on the far outskirts of Mumbai, risking fragment a long-established neighborhood. Certain individuals will receive no homes at all.

Those allowed to remain in Dharavi will be given flats in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the natural, communal way of dwelling and laboring that has supported the community for so long.

Industries from clothing production to pottery and recycling are projected to shrink in number and be relocated to a specific "industrial sector" separated from people's residences.

Survival Challenge

In the case of the leather artisan, a craftsman and multi-generational resident to live in this community, the project presents a survival challenge. His informal, multi-level facility produces garments – formal jackets, suede trenches, decorated jackets – distributed in premium stores in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Relatives resides in the rooms downstairs and employees and tailors – laborers from other states – also sleep there, allowing him to afford their labour. Outside Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are often tenfold as high for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

Within the administrative buildings in the vicinity, an illustrated mock-up of the transformation initiative shows an alternative perspective. Fashionable people mill about on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, purchasing continental baked goods and pastries and enlisting beverages on a terrace outside a restaurant and treat station. This depicts a stark contrast from the 20-rupee idli sambar breakfast and low-cost tea that maintains the neighborhood.

"This represents no progress for our community," explains Shaikh. "It represents an enormous land development that will price people out for us to survive."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the development company. Headed by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a supporter of the national leader – the corporation has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and financial impropriety, which it denies.

While local authorities labels it a collaborative effort, the corporation paid $950m for its 80% stake. A case claiming that the initiative was improperly granted to the corporation is under review in the top court.

Sustained Harassment

Since they began to actively protest the project, local opponents state they have been subjected to ongoing efforts of harassment and intimidation – comprising phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that opposing the development was tantamount to speaking against the country – by figures they assert represent the developer.

Included in these suspected of issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c