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For months, coercive phone calls continued. Originally, supposedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a former defense officer, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to the police station and warned explicitly: remain silent or encounter real trouble.

This third-generation resident is among those fighting a expensive initiative where one of India's largest slums – a massive informal community with rich history – will be razed and modernized by a large business group.

"The distinctive community of the slum is unparalleled in the world," says Shaikh. "Yet they want to eradicate our community and stop us speaking out."

Opposing Environments

The narrow alleys of the slum sit in stark contrast to the high-rise structures and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the settlement. Residences are constructed informally and typically lacking adequate facilities, unregulated industries release harmful emissions and the air is permeated by the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

Among some individuals, the prospect of Dharavi transformed into a modern district of premium apartments, organized recreational areas, contemporary malls and homes with proper sanitation is an optimistic future come true.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, paved pathways or sewage systems and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," states a tea vendor, 56, who migrated from his home state in that period. "The single option is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Community Resistance

But others, including Shaikh, are fighting against the plan.

Everyone acknowledges that the slum, consistently overlooked as an illegal encroachment, is in stark need investment and development. However they fear that this plan – without public consultation – could potentially turn a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a playground for the rich, displacing the marginalized, working-class residents who have resided there since generations ago.

These were these marginalized, relocated individuals who built up the uninhabited area into a widely studied marvel of community resilience and economic productivity, whose output is valued at between $1m and a substantial sum a year, making it a major unofficial markets.

Displacement Concerns

Of the roughly 1 million residents living in the dense sprawling area, fewer than half will be eligible for new homes in the development, which is estimated to take seven years to finish. Others will be moved to undeveloped zones and coastal regions on the remote edges of the city, potentially break up a generations-old neighborhood. A portion will receive no homes at all.

People eligible to continue living in Dharavi will be provided units in tower blocks, a significant rupture from the evolved, communal way of dwelling and laboring that has maintained this area for generations.

Commercial activities from garment work to pottery and recycling are likely to shrink in number and be relocated to a designated "commercial zone" far from homes.

Survival Challenge

For those such as this protester, a leather artisan and multi-generational inhabitant to reside in the slum, the project presents an existential threat. His rickety, three-storey operation makes garments – sharp blazers, luxury coats, fashionable garments – distributed in premium stores in south Mumbai and abroad.

Household members dwells in the rooms underneath and his workers and tailors – laborers from different regions – also sleep in the same building, enabling him to manage costs. Outside this community, Mumbai rents are typically 10 times as high for a single room.

Threats and Warning

In the government offices close by, a conceptual model of the redevelopment plan illustrates a contrasting perspective. Slickly dressed residents move around on two-wheelers and eco-friendly transport, acquiring western-style bread and pastries and enlisting beverages on a patio adjacent to a coffee shop and Ice-Cream. This represents a complete departure from the inexpensive idli sambar morning meal and 5-rupee chai that maintains Dharavi's community.

"This represents no development for our community," says the protester. "It's a huge land development that will render it impossible for us to survive."

Additionally, there exists concern of the development company. Headed by an influential industrialist – one of India's most powerful and an associate of the Indian prime minister – the conglomerate has encountered allegations of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

Even as administrative bodies labels it a collaborative effort, the developer invested nearly a billion dollars for its majority share. A lawsuit stating that the project was unfairly awarded to the developer is being considered in the nation's highest judicial body.

Continued Intimidation

Since they began to vocally oppose the project, protesters and community members claim they have been faced ongoing efforts of harassment and intimidation – involving phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that criticizing the development was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by individuals they assert are associated with the developer.

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