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Across several weeks, threatening phone calls persisted. Initially, supposedly from a former police officer and a retired army general, subsequently from law enforcement directly. In the end, one resident claims he was ordered to the local precinct and warned explicitly: keep quiet or experience severe repercussions.

The leather artisan is part of a group fighting a high-value project where Dharavi – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – will be razed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The unique ecosystem of the slum is exceptional in the world," states Shaikh. "However the plan aims to dismantle our way of life and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of the slum sit in stark contrast to the high-rise structures and elite residences that dominate the area. Residences are constructed informally and frequently missing basic amenities, unregulated industries produce dangerous fumes and the air is permeated by the overpowering odor of exposed drainage.

For certain residents, the vision of Dharavi transformed into a glistening neighborhood of luxury high-rises, organized recreational areas, shiny shopping centers and homes with multiple bathrooms is an optimistic future achieved.

"We lack adequate medical facilities, roads or sewage systems and there's nowhere for children to play," states a tea vendor, in his fifties, who moved from his home state in the early eighties. "The sole solution is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Local Protest

But others, such as the leather artisan, are fighting against the project.

All recognize that the slum, consistently overlooked as unauthorized settlement, is urgently needing economic input and modernization. Yet they worry that this project – lacking resident participation – is one that will convert valuable urban land into a playground for the rich, forcing out the marginalized, migrant communities who have resided there since the late 1800s.

This involved these marginalized, migrant workers who developed the empty marshland into a frequently examined example of community resilience and business activity, whose production is valued at between a significant amount and $2m a year, making it among the globe's biggest informal economies.

Resettlement Issues

Of the roughly a million people living in the packed 220-hectare neighborhood, less than 50% will be able for replacement housing in the project, which is expected to take a significant period to finish. Additional residents will be transferred to barren areas and salt plains on the remote edges of the metropolis, risking divide a historic social network. Certain individuals will receive no housing at all.

Residents permitted to remain in Dharavi will be allocated flats in multi-story structures, a substantial change from the natural, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has sustained this area for many years.

Commercial activities from tailoring to ceramic crafts and waste processing are likely to reduce in scale and be moved to a specific "business area" far from people's residences.

Existential Threat

For residents like Shaikh, a leather artisan and third generation inhabitant to live in Dharavi, the plan presents a survival challenge. His makeshift, multi-level workshop creates garments – tailored coats, premium outerwear, decorated jackets – sold in luxury boutiques in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

Household members lives in the spaces below and his workers and sewers – laborers from north India – also sleep in the same building, allowing him to manage costs. Beyond the slum, housing costs are often tenfold costlier for basic accommodation.

Threats and Warning

At the administrative buildings close by, a conceptual model of the Dharavi project shows an alternative perspective. Slickly dressed people gather on cycles and eco-friendly transport, acquiring international baked goods and croissants and enlisting beverages on an outdoor area near Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. This represents a stark contrast from the affordable idli sambar breakfast and 5-rupee chai that maintains local residents.

"This is not improvement for residents," says the artisan. "It's a huge real estate deal that will price people out for our community to continue."

There is also skepticism of the development company. Headed by an influential industrialist – a leading figure and a supporter of the national leader – the corporation has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and ethical concerns, which it disputes.

While administrative bodies calls it a partnership, the business group contributed $950m for its majority share. A lawsuit stating that the initiative was questionably assigned to the developer is under review in the nation's highest judicial body.

Ongoing Pressure

From when they initiated to publicly resist the development, Shaikh and other residents state they have been experienced ongoing efforts of harassment and intimidation – comprising messages, direct threats and insinuations that criticizing the project was comparable with anti-national sentiment – by figures they allege work for the business conglomerate.

Included in these accused of issuing the threats is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c