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Across several weeks, coercive communications continued. Initially, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, subsequently from law enforcement directly. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to law enforcement headquarters and told clearly: stop speaking out or encounter real trouble.

Shaikh is part of a group fighting a expensive initiative where this historic settlement – one of India’s largest and most storied slums – faces razed and transformed by a corporate giant.

"The distinctive community of Dharavi is exceptional in the planet," states Shaikh. "But they want to dismantle our community and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The narrow alleys of Dharavi sit in stark contrast to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that loom over the area. Residences are built haphazardly and often without proper sanitation, unregulated industries emit toxic smoke and the environment is permeated by the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

For certain residents, the vision of a renewed Dharavi into a modern district of luxury high-rises, neat parks, contemporary malls and residences with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future come true.

"We lack sufficient health services, proper streets or drainage and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," explains a chai seller, fifty-six, who moved from Tamil Nadu in that period. "The only way is to demolish everything and build us new homes."

Local Protest

However, some, including Shaikh, are fighting against the redevelopment.

None deny that Dharavi, historically ignored as informal housing, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. But they are concerned that this plan – without community input – is one that will convert valuable urban land into a luxury development, forcing out the marginalized, working-class residents who have been there since generations ago.

This involved these marginalized, migrant workers who established the uninhabited area into a frequently examined example of self-reliance and economic productivity, whose output is worth between one million dollars and two million dollars a year, making it a major informal economies.

Displacement Concerns

Of the roughly a million residents living in the dense sprawling area, fewer than half will be qualified for replacement housing in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take an extended timeframe to accomplish. The remainder will be transferred to barren areas and salt plains on the far outskirts of Mumbai, potentially fragment a generations-old community. A portion will not get residences at all.

Residents permitted to remain in the area will be allocated units in multi-story structures, a significant rupture from the evolved, shared lifestyle of dwelling and laboring that has sustained this area for generations.

Industries from clothing production to clay work and recycling are likely to reduce in scale and be transferred to a specific "industrial sector" far from people's residences.

Livelihood Crisis

For residents like the leather artisan, a craftsman and long-time resident to reside in the slum, the redevelopment presents a survival challenge. His informal, three-floor workshop makes apparel – formal jackets, premium outerwear, decorated jackets – sold in high-end shops in south Mumbai and abroad.

Relatives dwells in the spaces below and employees and sewers – workers from other states – reside in the same building, enabling him to afford their labour. Outside the slum, housing costs are typically tenfold more expensive for minimal space.

Pressure and Coercion

Within the official facilities in the vicinity, a conceptual model of the Dharavi project shows an alternative outlook. Well-groomed people gather on two-wheelers and e-vehicles, buying continental baked goods and croissants and socializing on a terrace adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and treat station. It is a complete departure from the inexpensive idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that supports Dharavi's community.

"This isn't development for us," explains the protester. "This constitutes a huge property transaction that will make it unaffordable for our community to continue."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Managed by a prominent businessman – among the country's wealthiest and a supporter of the national leader – the corporation has encountered allegations of preferential treatment and questionable practices, which it denies.

Although the state government calls it a joint project, the business group paid a significant amount for its majority share. Legal proceedings alleging that the project was unfairly awarded to the business group is being considered in the nation's highest judicial body.

Sustained Harassment

Since they began to vocally oppose the development, protesters and community members claim they have been faced a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – involving phone calls, explicit warnings and implications that criticizing the project was equivalent to opposing national interests – by individuals they claim work for the corporate group.

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