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For months, threatening phone calls persisted. At first, reportedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, and then from the authorities. Ultimately, one resident states he was ordered to law enforcement headquarters and warned explicitly: remain silent or experience severe repercussions.

Shaikh is among those opposing a expensive initiative where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – is scheduled to be bulldozed and redeveloped by a corporate giant.

"The culture of this area is like nowhere else in the world," states Shaikh. "But they want to dismantle our way of life and stop us speaking out."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of Dharavi stand in sharp opposition to the towering buildings and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the neighborhood. Homes are assembled randomly and typically missing basic amenities, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the environment is saturated with the suffocating smell of uncovered waste channels.

To some, the prospect of the slum's redevelopment into a developed area of high-end towers, well-maintained green spaces, contemporary malls and residences with two toilets is an optimistic future come true.

"There's no proper healthcare, paved pathways or sewage systems and there's nowhere for children to play," states a tea vendor, in his fifties, who moved from Tamil Nadu in the early eighties. "The only way is to clear the area and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

Yet certain residents, such as the leather artisan, are opposing the project.

None deny that this community, historically ignored as unauthorized settlement, is in stark need economic input and modernization. But they fear that this project – without community input – could potentially transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a luxury development, displacing the disadvantaged, immigrant populations who have lived there since generations ago.

It was these marginalized, displaced people who developed the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of local enterprise and business activity, whose production is worth between one million dollars and $2m a year, making it one of the world's largest unofficial markets.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly one million residents living in the dense 220-hectare neighborhood, a minority will be able for alternative accommodation in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take seven years to accomplish. The remainder will be transferred to undeveloped zones and coastal regions on the far outskirts of the city, risking divide a historic neighborhood. Some will receive no housing at all.

Residents permitted to stay in Dharavi will be given apartments in multi-story structures, a substantial change from the natural, shared lifestyle of dwelling and laboring that has maintained the community for generations.

Commercial activities from tailoring to pottery and waste processing are likely to reduce in scale and be transferred to an allocated "commercial zone" separated from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as this protester, a workshop owner and third generation resident to live in this community, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His informal, three-floor operation produces apparel – sharp blazers, premium outerwear, fashionable garments – sold in luxury boutiques in the city's affluent areas and overseas.

Relatives lives in the rooms underneath and employees and garment workers – laborers from other states – live in the same building, enabling him to afford their labour. Away from this community, Mumbai rents are often 10 times more expensive for minimal space.

Threats and Warning

In the government offices close by, a visual representation of the Dharavi project shows a very different vision for the future. Well-groomed residents gather on cycles and eco-friendly transport, buying international baked goods and breakfast items and having coffee on a patio adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and dessert parlor. This depicts a stark contrast from the affordable idli sambar breakfast and low-cost tea that supports Dharavi's community.

"This is not development for our community," states the artisan. "It's a huge land development that will make it unaffordable for residents to remain."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Managed by an influential industrialist – a leading figure and a close ally of the national leader – the conglomerate has encountered allegations of preferential treatment and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

While administrative bodies describes it as a joint project, the developer invested a significant amount for its 80% stake. A lawsuit claiming that the project was questionably assigned to the developer is under review in India's supreme court.

Ongoing Pressure

After they started to publicly resist the project, protesters and community members assert they have been faced an extended period of coercion and warning – involving phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that speaking against the development was tantamount to speaking against the country – by individuals they allege are associated with the business conglomerate.

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