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For months, coercive messages continued. Originally, reportedly from a former police officer and a former defense officer, later from the authorities. Finally, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to law enforcement headquarters and instructed bluntly: keep quiet or face serious consequences.

Shaikh is among those opposing a multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – will be bulldozed and redeveloped by a corporate giant.

"The unique ecosystem of this area is like nowhere else in the planet," explains the protester. "However they want to destroy our way of life and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of this community sit in stark contrast to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that loom over the area. Dwellings are assembled randomly and often without proper sanitation, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the air is permeated by the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

Among some individuals, the promise of a renewed Dharavi into a developed area of luxury high-rises, well-maintained green spaces, modern retail complexes and homes with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future achieved.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, paved pathways or water management and we have no places for kids to enjoy," says a chai seller, 56, who relocated from Tamil Nadu in 1982. "The sole solution is to tear it all down and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

But others, such as the leather artisan, are resisting the redevelopment.

None deny that this community, long neglected as informal housing, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. However they worry that this plan – lacking community input – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a luxury development, evicting the marginalized, working-class residents who have been there since the nineteenth century.

These were these shunned, migrant workers who built up the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of local enterprise and business activity, whose economic value is estimated at between one million dollars and two million dollars annually, making it among the globe's biggest unofficial markets.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly one million people living in the packed sprawling area, less than 50% will be qualified for replacement housing in the development, which is projected to take a significant period to accomplish. Additional residents will be transferred to barren areas and salt plains on the distant periphery of the city, potentially divide a historic community. Certain individuals will receive no housing at all.

People eligible to continue living in the neighborhood will be allocated apartments in tower blocks, a significant rupture from the evolved, shared lifestyle of living and working that has sustained the community for generations.

Businesses from tailoring to pottery and recycling are projected to shrink in number and be transferred to a specific "commercial zone" distant from homes.

Livelihood Crisis

In the case of the leather artisan, a leather artisan and third generation inhabitant to live in the slum, the project presents an existential threat. His informal, three-floor workshop makes apparel – sharp blazers, luxury coats, fashionable garments – sold in high-end shops in the city's affluent areas and internationally.

Household members lives in the rooms underneath and laborers and tailors – migrants from other states – also sleep there, permitting him to sustain operations. Beyond Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are often tenfold as high for a single room.

Threats and Warning

In the official facilities close by, a visual representation of the Dharavi project shows an alternative vision for the future. Slickly dressed people mill about on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, buying western-style bread and pastries and socializing on a patio near a coffee shop and treat station. It is a stark contrast from the 20-rupee idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that sustains the neighborhood.

"This represents no improvement for us," explains the artisan. "It represents a massive land development that will make it unaffordable for us to survive."

There is also concern of the business conglomerate. Managed by a prominent businessman – a leading figure and an associate of the national leader – the conglomerate has encountered allegations of favoritism and ethical concerns, which it denies.

Although local authorities calls it a partnership, the developer paid $950m for its controlling interest. Legal proceedings stating that the project was improperly granted to the business group is being considered in the top court.

Sustained Harassment

From when they initiated to actively protest the development, Shaikh and other residents state they have been faced a long-running campaign of pressure and threats – involving messages, direct threats and insinuations that opposing the development was equivalent to speaking against the country – by people they claim work for the business conglomerate.

Included in these accused of delivering warnings is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c