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Over an extended period, intimidating messages continued. Initially, reportedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, later from the authorities. Ultimately, one resident claims he was ordered to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: stop speaking out or face serious consequences.

Shaikh is part of a group resisting a multimillion-dollar project where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – is scheduled to be demolished and modernized by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of the slum is unparalleled in the globe," says Shaikh. "But the plan aims to eradicate our social fabric and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of Dharavi sit in stark contrast to the towering buildings and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the area. Dwellings are constructed informally and typically lacking adequate facilities, unregulated industries produce dangerous fumes and the environment is filled with the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

To some, the promise of the slum's redevelopment into a developed area of premium apartments, organized recreational areas, contemporary malls and homes with proper sanitation is an optimistic future realized.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, proper streets or drainage and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," says a chai seller, fifty-six, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in that period. "The sole solution is to tear it all down and construct proper housing."

Local Protest

However, some, like this protester, are fighting against the redevelopment.

All recognize that Dharavi, historically ignored as informal housing, is in stark need investment and development. However they are concerned that this initiative – lacking public consultation – is one that will transform premium city property into an elite enclave, forcing out the marginalized, migrant communities who have resided there since the nineteenth century.

This involved these excluded, displaced people who established the vacant wetlands into a frequently examined example of community resilience and commercial output, whose output is estimated at between one million dollars and $2m annually, making it a major informal economies.

Displacement Concerns

Out of about one million residents living in the packed sprawling zone, less than 50% will be able for alternative accommodation in the project, which is expected to take an extended timeframe to complete. Others will be relocated to wastelands and salt plains on the far outskirts of the city, risking break up a historic social network. Some will not get housing at all.

Residents permitted to stay in Dharavi will be allocated flats in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the natural, collective approach of living and working that has maintained Dharavi for many years.

Businesses from tailoring to clay work and material recovery are likely to shrink in number and be moved to an allocated "industrial sector" far from residential areas.

Survival Challenge

For those such as Shaikh, a workshop owner and long-time resident to call home Dharavi, the project presents a fundamental risk. His informal, multi-level workshop produces garments – tailored coats, luxury coats, decorated jackets – marketed in premium stores in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Relatives resides in the spaces underneath and employees and sewers – laborers from north India – also sleep there, permitting him to sustain operations. Outside Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are often tenfold as high for minimal space.

Threats and Warning

At the official facilities nearby, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan illustrates an alternative perspective. Well-groomed residents move around on bicycles and electric vehicles, acquiring international baguettes and croissants and having coffee on a patio outside a coffee shop and dessert parlor. This depicts a stark contrast from the inexpensive idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that sustains local residents.

"This represents no development for us," states Shaikh. "This constitutes a huge land development that will price people out for us to survive."

There is also concern of the business conglomerate. Managed by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a close ally of the Indian prime minister – the corporation has been subject to claims of favoritism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

Although the state government calls it a joint project, the business group paid $950m for its 80% stake. Legal proceedings claiming that the project was questionably assigned to the corporation is being considered in India's supreme court.

Sustained Harassment

After they started to actively protest the development, protesters and community members state they have been experienced an extended period of pressure and threats – including phone calls, clear intimidation and insinuations that speaking against the development was comparable with opposing national interests – by individuals they claim represent the business conglomerate.

Among those alleged to have making intimidations is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c