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Across several weeks, intimidating phone calls persisted. At first, supposedly from a retired cop and a former defense officer, and then from law enforcement directly. In the end, a local artisan asserts he was ordered to the police station and told clearly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is among those fighting a expensive project where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – faces bulldozed and transformed by a multinational conglomerate.

"The culture of Dharavi is exceptional in the world," explains the protester. "However the plan aims to dismantle our community and silence our voices."

Opposing Environments

The narrow alleys of this community present a dramatic difference to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that overshadow the neighborhood. Residences are assembled randomly and typically lacking adequate facilities, small-scale operations produce dangerous fumes and the air is permeated by the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

To some, the promise of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of high-end towers, organized recreational areas, shiny shopping centers and homes with multiple bathrooms is a hopeful vision realized.

"We lack proper healthcare, paved pathways or water management and there's nowhere for children to play," explains A Selvin Nadar, fifty-six, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in that period. "The sole solution is to clear the area and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

But others, including the leather artisan, are resisting the project.

None deny that Dharavi, historically ignored as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. But they worry that this initiative – absent of community input – is one that will turn valuable urban land into a luxury development, forcing out the lower-caste, immigrant populations who have been there since generations ago.

It was these marginalized, migrant workers who established the uninhabited area into a widely studied marvel of self-reliance and business activity, whose economic value is estimated at between a significant amount and $2m a year, making it one of the world's largest unregulated sectors.

Displacement Concerns

Out of about a million people living in the packed 2.2 square kilometer area, less than 50% will be able for replacement housing in the project, which is estimated to take seven years to complete. The remainder will be moved to barren areas and coastal regions on the distant periphery of Mumbai, risking break up a long-established social network. Some will be denied housing at all.

Those allowed to stay in Dharavi will be given units in tower blocks, a significant rupture from the natural, shared lifestyle of living and working that has maintained this area for generations.

Industries from clothing production to pottery and waste processing are projected to decrease in quantity and be transferred to a designated "business area" separated from people's residences.

Survival Challenge

For residents like the leather artisan, a craftsman and long-time inhabitant to call home Dharavi, the project presents a fundamental risk. His makeshift, three-storey operation produces garments – sharp blazers, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – marketed in luxury boutiques in upscale neighborhoods and overseas.

His family dwells in the rooms below and his workers and tailors – migrants from north India – reside there, permitting him to manage costs. Away from Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are often 10 times as high for basic accommodation.

Threats and Warning

At the official facilities close by, an illustrated mock-up of the Dharavi project shows a very different outlook. Fashionable residents move around on two-wheelers and electric vehicles, buying continental baked goods and breakfast items and having coffee on a terrace near a coffee shop and dessert parlor. This depicts a world away from the inexpensive idli sambar morning meal and budget beverage that supports local residents.

"This is not development for us," states the protester. "It represents a huge property transaction that will render it impossible for residents to remain."

There is also concern of the development company. Run by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a close ally of the government head – the corporation has faced accusations of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it rejects.

Although administrative bodies describes it as a collaborative effort, the developer invested $950m for its 80% stake. Legal proceedings claiming that the redevelopment was questionably assigned to the developer is under review in the nation's highest judicial body.

Sustained Harassment

From when they initiated to vocally oppose the project, Shaikh and other residents claim they have been subjected to ongoing efforts of coercion and warning – involving phone calls, clear intimidation and suggestions that speaking against the development was comparable with speaking against the country – by figures they assert represent the business conglomerate.

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