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For months, intimidating phone calls continued. At first, supposedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a former defense officer, and then from law enforcement directly. Finally, a local artisan claims he was called to the police station and warned explicitly: remain silent or experience severe repercussions.

Shaikh is part of a group resisting a multimillion-dollar initiative where this historic settlement – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – faces demolished and redeveloped by a corporate giant.

"The culture of the slum is exceptional in the planet," says Shaikh. "However the plan aims to destroy our social fabric and stop us speaking out."

Contrasting Realities

The dank gullies of this community sit in stark contrast to the soaring skyscrapers and elite residences that dominate the settlement. Residences are constructed informally and often missing basic amenities, unregulated industries produce dangerous fumes and the environment is saturated with the suffocating smell of open sewers.

To some, the prospect of the slum's redevelopment into a modern district of luxury high-rises, neat parks, contemporary malls and homes with multiple bathrooms is a hopeful vision achieved.

"There's no proper healthcare, roads or drainage and we have no places for children to play," explains a chai seller, in his fifties, who relocated from his home state in that period. "The single option is to demolish everything and construct proper housing."

Resident Opposition

But others, such as the leather artisan, are resisting the plan.

Everyone acknowledges that Dharavi, long neglected as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring investment and development. But they worry that this initiative – absent of community input – could potentially transform a piece of prime Mumbai real estate into an elite enclave, displacing the marginalized, working-class residents who have been there since generations ago.

This involved these shunned, relocated individuals who established the uninhabited area into a widely studied marvel of community resilience and business activity, whose output is estimated at between $1m and two million dollars annually, making it one of the world's largest unofficial markets.

Relocation Worries

Out of about 1 million people living in the packed sprawling neighborhood, fewer than half will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the redevelopment, which is projected to take an extended timeframe to finish. Additional residents will be transferred to barren areas and salt plains on the remote edges of Mumbai, threatening to divide a long-established social network. A portion will receive no homes at all.

Residents permitted to stay in Dharavi will be given flats in multi-story structures, a significant rupture from the natural, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has sustained 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" far from residential areas.

Existential Threat

In the case of Shaikh, a craftsman and long-time of his family to call home the slum, the redevelopment presents a survival challenge. His informal, three-floor workshop produces garments – sharp blazers, suede trenches, decorated jackets – sold in luxury boutiques in south Mumbai and overseas.

Household members resides in the spaces below and his workers and garment workers – workers from north India – live on-site, permitting him to manage costs. Beyond the slum, Mumbai rents are often tenfold as high for minimal space.

Harassment and Intimidation

In the administrative buildings close by, a visual representation of the Dharavi project depicts a contrasting vision for the future. Slickly dressed residents gather on cycles and electric vehicles, buying international bread and pastries and having coffee on a patio adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and treat station. This depicts a stark contrast from the inexpensive idli sambar first meal and 5-rupee chai that sustains Dharavi's community.

"This isn't progress for our community," explains the protester. "It represents a huge land development that will render it impossible for our community to continue."

Furthermore, there's skepticism of the development company. Headed by a powerful tycoon – 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.

Although the state government describes it as a partnership, the business group invested $950m for its 80% stake. Legal proceedings stating that the project was unfairly awarded to the corporation is under review in the nation's highest judicial body.

Ongoing Pressure

From when they initiated to publicly resist the project, protesters and community members assert they have been experienced an extended period of pressure and threats – comprising phone calls, clear intimidation and implications that opposing the development was tantamount to speaking against the country – by figures they claim are associated with the business conglomerate.

Part of the group alleged to have delivering warnings is {a retired police officer|a former law enforcement official|an ex-c