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Over an extended period, threatening messages continued. Originally, allegedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, subsequently from law enforcement directly. In the end, one resident claims he was summoned to the police station and warned explicitly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

Shaikh is part of a group fighting a multimillion-dollar project where one of India's largest slums – a massive informal community with rich history – faces razed and redeveloped by a multinational conglomerate.

"The culture of the slum is unparalleled in the world," states the protester. "But 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 high-rise structures and luxury apartments that dominate the settlement. Homes are constructed informally and often missing basic amenities, informal businesses produce dangerous fumes and the atmosphere is saturated with the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

To some, the promise of a renewed Dharavi into a developed area of luxury high-rises, well-maintained green spaces, modern retail complexes and residences with two toilets is an aspirational dream come true.

"There's no proper healthcare, paved pathways or drainage and there are no spaces for youth to recreate," explains a chai seller, 56, who moved from his home state in 1982. "The only way is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Local Protest

Yet certain residents, including the leather artisan, are resisting the project.

None deny that this community, long neglected as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. However they are concerned that this plan – absent of community input – could potentially transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into an elite enclave, forcing out the disadvantaged, working-class residents who have lived there since generations ago.

It was these shunned, migrant workers who established the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of self-reliance and business activity, whose production is valued at between $1m and two million dollars a year, making it a major unregulated sectors.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about a million residents living in the dense 220-hectare neighborhood, fewer than half will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the development, which is estimated to take a significant period to finish. Others will be transferred to undeveloped zones and saline fields on the far outskirts of the metropolis, risking break up a generations-old neighborhood. A portion will not get homes at all.

People eligible to stay in the area will be allocated flats in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the evolved, collective approach of dwelling and laboring that has supported this area for generations.

Businesses from clothing production to ceramic crafts and waste processing are likely to decrease in quantity and be transferred to an allocated "industrial sector" far from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

In the case of this protester, a leather artisan and long-time resident to live in this community, the project presents a survival challenge. His makeshift, three-storey workshop produces apparel – tailored coats, luxury coats, fashionable garments – sold in premium stores in upscale neighborhoods and overseas.

Relatives lives in the rooms below and his workers and sewers – laborers from other states – reside there, allowing him to sustain operations. Beyond the slum, accommodation prices are frequently significantly more expensive for a single room.

Threats and Warning

In the administrative buildings nearby, a visual representation of the redevelopment plan illustrates a very different vision for the future. Well-groomed people mill about on cycles and electric vehicles, acquiring continental baguettes and croissants and having coffee on an outdoor area adjacent to a coffee shop and treat station. It is a complete departure from the 20-rupee idli sambar first meal and low-cost tea that maintains the neighborhood.

"This is not improvement for our community," states the artisan. "It represents an enormous real estate deal that will price people out for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the business conglomerate. Managed by an influential industrialist – one of India's most powerful and an associate of the Indian prime minister – the conglomerate has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

While administrative bodies calls it a collaborative effort, the corporation invested a significant amount for its 80% stake. A case claiming that the redevelopment was questionably assigned to the business group is being considered in the top court.

Continued Intimidation

After they started to actively protest the project, Shaikh and other residents assert they have been subjected to an extended period of coercion and warning – including phone calls, clear intimidation and implications that opposing the project was equivalent to opposing national interests – by figures they claim are associated with the corporate group.

Among those accused of making intimidations is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c