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Over an extended period, coercive phone calls persisted. At first, reportedly from an ex-law enforcement official and a retired army general, later from the police themselves. Ultimately, one resident asserts he was ordered to the police station and told clearly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

The leather artisan is among those resisting a high-value redevelopment plan where this historic settlement – a massive informal community with rich history – is scheduled to be razed and redeveloped by a large business group.

"The distinctive community of this area is unparalleled in the world," says Shaikh. "But the plan aims to destroy our way of life and prevent our protests."

Dual Worlds

The dank gullies of Dharavi stand in sharp opposition to the high-rise structures and Bollywood penthouses that overshadow the area. Homes are built haphazardly and often lacking adequate facilities, informal businesses emit toxic smoke and the environment is filled with the unpleasant stench of uncovered waste channels.

To some, the prospect of the slum's redevelopment into a glistening neighborhood of high-end towers, well-maintained green spaces, shiny shopping centers and apartments with two toilets is an aspirational dream achieved.

"There's no adequate medical facilities, roads or drainage and there's nowhere for children to play," says a tea vendor, 56, who relocated from his home state in the early eighties. "The sole solution is to demolish everything and provide modern residences."

Resident Opposition

Yet certain residents, such as the leather artisan, are resisting the project.

None deny that this community, consistently overlooked as an illegal encroachment, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. However they worry that this initiative – absent of resident participation – is one that will turn premium city property into a luxury development, displacing the marginalized, migrant communities who have been there since the nineteenth century.

This involved these shunned, displaced people who developed the uninhabited area into an extensively researched phenomenon of local enterprise and business activity, whose economic value is estimated at between one million dollars and a substantial sum annually, making it a major informal economies.

Relocation Worries

Of the roughly 1 million people living in the crowded sprawling area, less than 50% will be qualified for alternative accommodation in the project, which is estimated to take a significant period to complete. The remainder will be relocated to undeveloped zones and salt plains on the distant periphery of the city, risking divide a historic community. A portion will not get residences at all.

People eligible to remain in the area will be provided units in high-rise buildings, a substantial change from the natural, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has sustained this area for many years.

Commercial activities from clothing production to ceramic crafts and material recovery are projected to shrink in number and be transferred to a specific "business area" far from residential areas.

Livelihood Crisis

For those such as this protester, a leather artisan and multi-generational resident to reside in the slum, the redevelopment presents an existential threat. His informal, three-floor facility produces leather coats – formal jackets, premium outerwear, decorated jackets – sold in high-end shops in the city's affluent areas and overseas.

His family resides in the accommodations below and laborers and sewers – laborers from other states – reside there, permitting him to manage costs. Outside this community, housing costs are often 10 times more expensive for a single room.

Harassment and Intimidation

In the official facilities nearby, a visual representation of the Dharavi project depicts a very different perspective. Slickly dressed people move around on cycles and eco-friendly transport, acquiring continental baguettes and breakfast items and socializing on a patio near a restaurant and dessert parlor. This represents a complete departure from the affordable idli sambar first meal and budget beverage that sustains the neighborhood.

"This is not progress for residents," explains Shaikh. "This constitutes an enormous property transaction that will make it unaffordable for residents to remain."

There is also skepticism of the business conglomerate. Headed by a powerful tycoon – one of India's most powerful and a close ally of the government head – the conglomerate has been subject to claims of crony capitalism and questionable practices, which it disputes.

While the state government calls it a collaborative effort, the corporation invested nearly a billion dollars for its majority share. A case stating that the initiative was questionably assigned to the business group is under review in India's supreme court.

Ongoing Pressure

Since they began to actively protest the development, protesters and community members assert they have been experienced a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – including messages, clear intimidation and insinuations that speaking against the development was equivalent to opposing national interests – by people they allege represent the developer.

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