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Across several weeks, threatening phone calls persisted. At first, allegedly from a retired cop and an ex-military commander, later from the authorities. In the end, one resident states he was called to the local precinct and warned explicitly: remain silent or experience severe repercussions.

Shaikh is among those fighting a expensive redevelopment plan where Dharavi – a massive informal community with rich history – will be demolished and modernized by a multinational conglomerate.

"The distinctive community of the slum is unparalleled in the world," explains the protester. "But the plan aims to destroy our way of life and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of this community present a dramatic difference to the towering buildings and Bollywood penthouses that dominate the settlement. Dwellings are assembled randomly and typically missing basic amenities, unregulated industries produce dangerous fumes and the environment is permeated by the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

For certain residents, the prospect of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of premium apartments, well-maintained green spaces, modern retail complexes and homes with proper sanitation is an optimistic future come true.

"We lack adequate medical facilities, proper streets or drainage and there are no spaces for children to play," states A Selvin Nadar, fifty-six, who moved from southern India in the early eighties. "The sole solution is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Community Resistance

Yet certain residents, such as this protester, are resisting the plan.

Everyone acknowledges that the slum, historically ignored as an illegal encroachment, is urgently needing economic input and modernization. Yet they worry that this project – lacking public consultation – is one that will transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into a playground for the rich, displacing the disadvantaged, immigrant populations who have lived there since the late 1800s.

It was these shunned, displaced people who developed the empty marshland into a frequently examined example of local enterprise and business activity, whose production is valued at between one million dollars and $2m a year, making it among the globe's biggest unofficial markets.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly a million residents living in the crowded 220-hectare neighborhood, fewer than half will be able for replacement housing in the development, which is estimated to take an extended timeframe to accomplish. Additional residents will be moved to wastelands and saline fields on the far outskirts of the city, risking divide a long-established community. Some will not get residences at all.

People eligible to continue living in the area will be provided apartments in tower blocks, a significant rupture from the evolved, shared lifestyle of dwelling and laboring that has sustained Dharavi for many years.

Industries from garment work to ceramic crafts and waste processing are projected to reduce in scale and be relocated to a designated "industrial sector" distant from people's residences.

Existential Threat

In the case of Shaikh, a workshop owner and third generation inhabitant to call home the slum, the project presents an existential threat. His rickety, multi-level facility creates garments – formal jackets, suede trenches, studded bomber jackets – sold in premium stores in south Mumbai and internationally.

Household members lives in the spaces downstairs and laborers and sewers – laborers from north India – also sleep on-site, allowing him to manage costs. Outside Dharavi's enclave, housing costs are often 10 times costlier for basic accommodation.

Threats and Warning

In the official facilities close by, a visual representation of the Dharavi project depicts a very different outlook. Fashionable people mill about on two-wheelers and eco-friendly transport, acquiring western-style baked goods and croissants and socializing on a patio adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. This represents a world away from the inexpensive idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that maintains local residents.

"This isn't progress for us," says Shaikh. "It represents a massive land development that will price people out for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the business conglomerate. Headed by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a supporter of the Indian prime minister – the business group has faced accusations of preferential treatment and questionable practices, which it rejects.

Although local authorities describes it as a collaborative effort, the business group contributed $950m for its majority share. A case alleging that the redevelopment was improperly granted to the business group is pending in the top court.

Sustained Harassment

Since they began to vocally oppose the redevelopment, protesters and community members state they have been faced an extended period of pressure and threats – comprising messages, direct threats and insinuations that speaking against the project was equivalent to speaking against the country – by people they assert work for the developer.

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