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For months, coercive communications recurred. At first, allegedly from an ex-law enforcement official and an ex-military commander, later from the police themselves. Ultimately, a local artisan claims he was ordered to the police station and warned explicitly: stop speaking out or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is one of many resisting a expensive project where one of India's largest slums – a massive informal community with rich history – faces bulldozed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The distinctive community of the slum is exceptional in the planet," explains the resident. "But the plan aims to dismantle our social fabric and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of Dharavi sit in stark contrast to the high-rise structures and elite residences that overshadow the area. Residences are constructed informally and frequently missing basic amenities, informal businesses emit toxic smoke and the atmosphere is saturated with the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

Among some individuals, the vision of the slum's redevelopment into a glistening neighborhood of high-end towers, organized recreational areas, contemporary malls and residences with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future achieved.

"There's no sufficient health services, roads or water management and there are no spaces for kids to enjoy," states a chai seller, 56, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in that period. "The only way is to demolish everything and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

However, some, including this protester, are fighting against the project.

Everyone acknowledges that the slum, historically ignored as an illegal encroachment, is in stark need economic input and modernization. Yet they are concerned that this initiative – lacking public consultation – could potentially transform valuable urban land into an elite enclave, displacing the marginalized, migrant communities who have been there since the late 1800s.

It was these shunned, relocated individuals who built up the empty marshland into an extensively researched phenomenon of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose production is estimated at between one million dollars and two million dollars per year, making it a major unofficial markets.

Relocation Worries

Of the roughly 1 million residents living in the packed 220-hectare neighborhood, less than 50% will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the development, which is expected to take seven years to complete. The remainder will be relocated to wastelands and saline fields on the remote edges of Mumbai, risking break up a historic neighborhood. Certain individuals will be denied residences at all.

People eligible to continue living in the area will be given units in tower blocks, a substantial change from the natural, collective approach of residing and operating that has supported the community for generations.

Industries from tailoring to ceramic crafts and waste processing are expected to reduce in scale and be moved to an allocated "business area" far from homes.

Existential Threat

For those such as Shaikh, a workshop owner and long-time inhabitant to live in this community, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His rickety, three-floor workshop produces garments – tailored coats, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – sold in luxury boutiques in south Mumbai and internationally.

Relatives resides in the accommodations underneath and his workers and sewers – migrants from other states – live in the same building, allowing him to afford their labour. Beyond Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are typically significantly as high for basic accommodation.

Pressure and Coercion

Within the government offices nearby, a visual representation of the redevelopment plan illustrates a very different perspective. Well-groomed people gather on cycles and electric vehicles, acquiring western-style baguettes and pastries and having coffee on a patio adjacent to a coffee shop and treat station. It is a complete departure from the affordable idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that sustains local residents.

"This isn't progress for residents," says Shaikh. "This constitutes a massive land development that will price people out for residents to remain."

Additionally, there exists concern of the corporate group. Managed by a prominent businessman – a leading figure and an associate of the Indian prime minister – the business group has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and questionable practices, which it disputes.

Although the state government labels it a partnership, the developer paid a significant amount for its controlling interest. Legal proceedings stating that the redevelopment was unfairly awarded to the corporation is being considered in the top court.

Continued Intimidation

Since they began to vocally oppose the redevelopment, local opponents assert they have been subjected to a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – including messages, direct threats and suggestions that speaking against the project was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by figures they claim work for the corporate group.

Part of the group suspected of delivering warnings is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c