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Across several weeks, threatening messages continued. Initially, supposedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, later from law enforcement directly. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh claims he was called to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: stop speaking out or encounter real trouble.

The leather artisan is among those resisting a multimillion-dollar project where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – will be demolished and modernized by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of the slum is exceptional in the globe," explains the resident. "Yet they want to dismantle our community and stop us speaking out."

Dual Worlds

The narrow alleys of Dharavi present a dramatic difference to the high-rise structures and luxury apartments that overshadow the settlement. Residences are built haphazardly and typically lacking adequate facilities, informal businesses produce dangerous fumes and the atmosphere is filled with the overpowering odor of exposed drainage.

Among some individuals, the vision of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of luxury high-rises, well-maintained green spaces, modern retail complexes and residences with proper sanitation is an optimistic future achieved.

"We don't have sufficient health services, roads or sewage systems and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," says A Selvin Nadar, in his fifties, who migrated from southern India in 1982. "The single option is to tear it all down and provide modern residences."

Community Resistance

Yet certain residents, such as the leather artisan, are resisting the project.

Everyone acknowledges that the slum, consistently overlooked as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing investment and development. But they are concerned that this project – without public consultation – could potentially convert premium city property into a playground for the rich, evicting the marginalized, working-class residents who have lived there since the nineteenth century.

This involved these marginalized, migrant workers who established the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of self-reliance and commercial output, whose economic value is valued at between $1m and two million dollars a year, making it one of the world's largest unregulated sectors.

Relocation Worries

Out of about one million people living in the crowded 220-hectare neighborhood, a minority will be qualified for new homes in the redevelopment, which is estimated to take a significant period to accomplish. Others will be relocated to undeveloped zones and saline fields on the distant periphery of Mumbai, risking fragment a long-established community. Some will not get residences at all.

Residents permitted to continue living in the area will be given flats in multi-story structures, a significant rupture from the evolved, collective approach of residing and operating that has maintained the community for many years.

Industries from garment work to clay work and recycling are likely to reduce in scale and be relocated to an allocated "business area" distant from homes.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as Shaikh, a leather artisan and third generation of his family to reside in Dharavi, the plan presents a survival challenge. His makeshift, multi-level operation creates garments – formal jackets, luxury coats, studded bomber jackets – distributed in premium stores in the city's affluent areas and abroad.

Relatives dwells in the rooms downstairs and laborers and sewers – migrants from north India – also sleep there, enabling him to manage costs. Outside the slum, accommodation prices are typically significantly more expensive for a single room.

Pressure and Coercion

Within the official facilities nearby, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan illustrates an alternative perspective. Slickly dressed people gather on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, buying western-style bread and croissants and socializing on a patio adjacent to a restaurant and Ice-Cream. It is a stark contrast from the affordable idli sambar first meal and low-cost tea that sustains local residents.

"This is not progress for our community," states the protester. "It represents a massive real estate deal that will price people out for our community to continue."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Headed by a powerful tycoon – one of India's most powerful and an associate of the government head – the business group has encountered allegations of preferential treatment and financial impropriety, which it disputes.

While the state government calls it a joint project, the business group invested $950m for its controlling interest. A case claiming that the project was improperly granted to the developer is under review in India's supreme court.

Continued Intimidation

Since they began to actively protest the redevelopment, protesters and community members state they have been experienced ongoing efforts of coercion and warning – comprising communications, explicit warnings and implications that opposing the project was comparable with speaking against the country – by figures they assert are associated with the corporate group.

Among those accused of making intimidations is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c