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Over an extended period, threatening phone calls recurred. At first, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a retired army general, later from the authorities. In the end, Mohammad Khurshid Shaikh asserts he was summoned to the local precinct and instructed bluntly: keep quiet or encounter real trouble.

The leather artisan is part of a group fighting a expensive initiative where Dharavi – a massive informal community with rich history – is scheduled to be bulldozed and redeveloped by a multinational conglomerate.

"The distinctive community of this area is like nowhere else in the globe," says the protester. "Yet the plan aims to eradicate our way of life and prevent our protests."

Contrasting Realities

The cramped lanes of Dharavi sit in stark contrast to the towering buildings and luxury apartments that dominate the neighborhood. Dwellings are assembled randomly and often missing basic amenities, informal businesses produce dangerous fumes and the air is permeated by the unpleasant stench of exposed drainage.

To some, the prospect of a renewed Dharavi into a glistening neighborhood of high-end towers, well-maintained green spaces, contemporary malls and homes with multiple bathrooms is a hopeful vision realized.

"We lack proper healthcare, roads or water management and there's nowhere for youth to recreate," says A Selvin Nadar, fifty-six, who migrated from his home state in 1982. "The sole solution is to clear the area and construct proper housing."

Community Resistance

However, some, such as Shaikh, are opposing the plan.

All recognize that Dharavi, consistently overlooked as an illegal encroachment, is urgently needing financial support and improvement. However they are concerned that this initiative – absent of resident participation – is one that will convert valuable urban land into a playground for the rich, evicting the marginalized, migrant communities who have resided there since the late 1800s.

This involved these shunned, displaced people who established the empty marshland into an extensively researched phenomenon of community resilience and business activity, whose economic value is valued at between a significant amount and two million dollars annually, making it one of the world's largest unofficial markets.

Relocation Worries

Of the roughly one million people living in the crowded 220-hectare area, fewer than half will be eligible for new homes in the redevelopment, which is expected to take seven years to accomplish. Additional residents will be moved to barren areas and saline fields on the far outskirts of the city, risking divide a generations-old community. Certain individuals will receive no residences at all.

Those allowed to continue living in the area will be given units in multi-story structures, a substantial change from the organic, collective approach of living and working that has sustained the community for generations.

Industries from garment work to pottery and recycling are likely to shrink in number and be moved to a specific "industrial sector" far from homes.

Survival Challenge

In the case of Shaikh, a leather artisan and third generation of his family to call home this community, the plan presents a survival challenge. His makeshift, multi-level workshop makes apparel – formal jackets, suede trenches, decorated jackets – sold in high-end shops in south Mumbai and abroad.

His family dwells in the rooms downstairs and employees and tailors – migrants from other states – also sleep on-site, permitting him to sustain operations. Beyond Dharavi's enclave, Mumbai rents are typically significantly as high for basic accommodation.

Threats and Warning

In the official facilities close by, an illustrated mock-up of the redevelopment plan shows a contrasting outlook. Slickly dressed inhabitants gather on cycles and e-vehicles, purchasing international bread and pastries and socializing on a patio adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and treat station. This represents a stark contrast from the 20-rupee idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that supports Dharavi's community.

"This is not improvement for us," says the artisan. "It represents a huge land development that will render it impossible for us to survive."

Furthermore, there's distrust of the development company. Run by a prominent businessman – among the country's wealthiest and a close ally of the government head – the business group has faced accusations of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it rejects.

Even as administrative bodies describes it as a joint project, the business group paid $950m for its majority share. A case alleging that the initiative was questionably assigned to the business group is being considered in the nation's highest judicial body.

Sustained Harassment

From when they initiated to publicly resist the project, local opponents assert they have been experienced an extended period of coercion and warning – including communications, explicit warnings and insinuations that criticizing the development was tantamount to opposing national interests – by figures they assert represent the business conglomerate.

Included in these suspected of making intimidations is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c