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Across several weeks, intimidating messages persisted. At first, supposedly from a retired cop and an ex-military commander, later from the police themselves. Finally, one resident asserts he was summoned to the local precinct and warned explicitly: stop speaking out or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is one of many opposing a multimillion-dollar initiative where one of India's largest slums – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – is scheduled to be razed and redeveloped by a corporate giant.

"The distinctive community of Dharavi is exceptional in the planet," says the protester. "Yet they want to dismantle our way of life and stop us speaking out."

Dual Worlds

The cramped lanes of Dharavi present a dramatic difference to the towering buildings and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the settlement. Dwellings are built haphazardly and frequently without proper sanitation, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the environment is saturated with the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the prospect of Dharavi transformed into a glistening neighborhood of premium apartments, organized recreational areas, contemporary malls and apartments with two toilets is an aspirational dream realized.

"We lack adequate medical facilities, paved pathways or sewage systems and there are no spaces for children to play," explains A Selvin Nadar, fifty-six, who relocated from southern India in the early eighties. "The single option is to clear the area and build us new homes."

Community Resistance

However, some, such as Shaikh, are fighting against the redevelopment.

None deny that the slum, historically ignored as informal housing, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. Yet they fear that this plan – lacking resident participation – might convert valuable urban land into an elite enclave, forcing out the marginalized, working-class residents who have been there since the late 1800s.

These were these marginalized, relocated individuals who established the empty marshland into a widely studied marvel of community resilience and business activity, whose output is worth between one million dollars and a substantial sum annually, making it one of the world's largest unregulated sectors.

Resettlement Issues

Among approximately a million people living in the crowded 220-hectare zone, less than 50% will be eligible for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take seven years to complete. Others will be relocated to undeveloped zones and salt plains on the far outskirts of the metropolis, threatening to break up a historic social network. Certain individuals will be denied homes at all.

People eligible to remain in Dharavi will be provided apartments in tower blocks, a substantial change from the evolved, collective approach of living and working that has sustained this area for generations.

Industries from tailoring to ceramic crafts and material recovery are expected to reduce in scale and be relocated to an allocated "industrial sector" far from residential areas.

Existential Threat

For those such as the leather artisan, a craftsman and long-time inhabitant to reside in Dharavi, the plan presents a survival challenge. His informal, three-storey operation produces garments – sharp blazers, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – sold in high-end shops in south Mumbai and internationally.

Relatives dwells in the rooms downstairs and laborers and tailors – laborers from other states – live in the same building, permitting him to afford their labour. Beyond the slum, accommodation prices are often 10 times more expensive for minimal space.

Harassment and Intimidation

Within the administrative buildings close by, an illustrated mock-up of the transformation initiative depicts a contrasting perspective. Slickly dressed residents gather on cycles and eco-friendly transport, purchasing continental bread and pastries and socializing on a terrace outside a coffee shop and treat station. This represents a stark contrast from the affordable idli sambar breakfast and 5-rupee chai that supports Dharavi's community.

"This isn't improvement for residents," states Shaikh. "It represents a huge real estate deal that will make it unaffordable for our community to continue."

There is also distrust of the business conglomerate. Managed by a powerful tycoon – one of India's most powerful and a close ally of the Indian prime minister – the business group has been subject to claims of preferential treatment and ethical concerns, which it denies.

Even as administrative bodies labels it a joint project, the developer paid $950m for its majority share. A lawsuit alleging that the initiative was improperly granted to the corporation is being considered in India's supreme court.

Continued Intimidation

From when they initiated to publicly resist the project, local opponents assert they have been subjected to an extended period of harassment and intimidation – comprising communications, clear intimidation and suggestions that criticizing the initiative was tantamount to speaking against the country – by individuals they assert work for the business conglomerate.

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