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Over an extended period, threatening messages recurred. Originally, supposedly from a retired cop and a retired army general, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, one resident asserts he was called to the local precinct and told clearly: keep quiet or encounter real trouble.

The leather artisan is one of many resisting a expensive project where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – is scheduled to be bulldozed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The culture of Dharavi is unparalleled in the globe," states the resident. "But their intention is to eradicate our community and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of the slum sit in stark contrast to the towering buildings and luxury apartments that dominate the area. Residences are built haphazardly and frequently missing basic amenities, small-scale operations emit toxic smoke and the environment is filled with the suffocating smell of open sewers.

Among some individuals, the promise of a renewed Dharavi into a modern district of luxury high-rises, organized recreational areas, modern retail complexes and homes with proper sanitation is an optimistic future achieved.

"We don't have sufficient health services, paved pathways or sewage systems and there's nowhere for children to play," states A Selvin Nadar, in his fifties, who moved from Tamil Nadu in 1982. "The only way is to clear the area and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

But others, such as this protester, are opposing the redevelopment.

All recognize that the slum, long neglected as an illegal encroachment, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. But they worry that this plan – without resident participation – might transform premium city property into a luxury development, forcing out the disadvantaged, immigrant populations who have lived there since the late 1800s.

It was these shunned, relocated individuals who developed the uninhabited area into a frequently examined example of community resilience and economic productivity, whose production is valued at between $1m and a substantial sum annually, making it a major unregulated sectors.

Relocation Worries

Of the roughly one million people living in the dense 2.2 square kilometer neighborhood, a minority will be able for alternative accommodation in the project, which is projected to take an extended timeframe to accomplish. Others will be moved to undeveloped zones and salt plains on the far outskirts of Mumbai, threatening to fragment a historic community. A portion will not get housing at all.

Those allowed to continue living in the area will be given units in tower blocks, a major break from the organic, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has maintained this area for generations.

Businesses from clothing production to clay work and material recovery are likely to reduce in scale and be moved to a designated "commercial zone" separated from residential areas.

Existential Threat

For residents like this protester, a craftsman and multi-generational of his family to call home the slum, the plan presents a fundamental risk. His makeshift, three-floor workshop makes leather coats – formal jackets, luxury coats, studded bomber jackets – distributed in luxury boutiques in south Mumbai and abroad.

Household members dwells in the rooms below and employees and sewers – migrants from north India – reside there, allowing him to afford their labour. Away from Dharavi's enclave, accommodation prices are frequently significantly as high for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

Within the government offices close by, an illustrated mock-up of the transformation initiative shows a very different outlook. Slickly dressed inhabitants move around on bicycles and eco-friendly transport, purchasing international baked goods and croissants and socializing on a patio adjacent to a restaurant and dessert parlor. It is a stark contrast from the inexpensive idli sambar breakfast and low-cost tea that supports the neighborhood.

"This isn't improvement for us," states the protester. "This constitutes a massive real estate deal that will make it unaffordable for residents to remain."

Additionally, there exists skepticism of the corporate group. Run by a powerful tycoon – among the country's wealthiest and a close ally of the national leader – the business group has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

Even as the state government labels it a partnership, the developer contributed nearly a billion dollars for its controlling interest. Legal proceedings claiming that the initiative was unfairly awarded to the developer is being considered in the nation's highest judicial body.

Sustained Harassment

After they started to vocally oppose the project, protesters and community members assert they have been faced an extended period of coercion and warning – involving communications, clear intimidation and implications that speaking against the initiative was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by figures they assert are associated with the developer.

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