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Over an extended period, intimidating phone calls persisted. Initially, reportedly from a retired cop and an ex-military commander, subsequently from the authorities. Finally, a local artisan states he was ordered to the local precinct and told clearly: remain silent or encounter real trouble.

The leather artisan is among those fighting a expensive project where one of India's largest slums – an iconic Mumbai neighborhood – faces demolished and transformed by a large business group.

"The culture of Dharavi is like nowhere else in the globe," says the resident. "However the plan aims to destroy our community and prevent our protests."

Opposing Environments

The narrow alleys of the slum present a dramatic difference to the soaring skyscrapers and luxury apartments that dominate the area. Homes are constructed informally and typically lacking adequate facilities, small-scale operations release harmful emissions and the atmosphere is filled with the suffocating smell of open sewers.

For certain residents, the prospect of a renewed Dharavi into a developed area of luxury high-rises, well-maintained green spaces, shiny shopping centers and residences with proper sanitation is an optimistic future realized.

"We don't have sufficient health services, roads or water management and we have no places for kids to enjoy," says A Selvin Nadar, 56, who relocated from his home state in that period. "The sole solution is to clear the area and provide modern residences."

Resident Opposition

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

Everyone acknowledges that Dharavi, long neglected as unauthorized settlement, is desperately requiring investment and development. Yet they worry that this project – without community input – might turn premium city property into an elite enclave, evicting the marginalized, immigrant populations who have lived there since generations ago.

These were these excluded, migrant workers who built up the uninhabited area into a frequently examined example of community resilience and economic productivity, whose economic value is valued at between $1m and a substantial sum per year, making it among the globe's biggest unregulated sectors.

Relocation Worries

Out of about 1 million residents living in the dense 220-hectare neighborhood, less than 50% will be able for new homes in the redevelopment, which is projected to take seven years to accomplish. Additional residents will be transferred to wastelands and coastal regions on the remote edges of Mumbai, potentially fragment a generations-old social network. A portion will not get residences at all.

Those allowed to stay in the area will be provided units in high-rise buildings, a major break from the natural, shared lifestyle of residing and operating that has maintained Dharavi for many years.

Industries from clothing production to clay work and waste processing are projected to decrease in quantity and be transferred to a designated "business area" separated from people's residences.

Existential Threat

For residents like the leather artisan, a craftsman and third generation inhabitant to live in the slum, the redevelopment presents an existential threat. His rickety, three-storey workshop produces apparel – sharp blazers, suede trenches, decorated jackets – sold in high-end shops in south Mumbai and abroad.

Relatives dwells in the accommodations downstairs and laborers and tailors – workers from different regions – reside in the same building, permitting him to sustain operations. Beyond the slum, Mumbai rents are frequently 10 times as high for minimal space.

Harassment and Intimidation

At the administrative buildings nearby, a conceptual model of the Dharavi project illustrates a contrasting outlook. Well-groomed people gather on two-wheelers and e-vehicles, acquiring international bread and croissants and enlisting beverages on an outdoor area outside Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. This represents a world away from the 20-rupee idli sambar morning meal and low-cost tea that maintains the neighborhood.

"This isn't development for our community," says the artisan. "This constitutes a huge property transaction that will make it unaffordable for residents to remain."

Additionally, there exists distrust of the development company. Run by a powerful tycoon – a leading figure and a supporter of the national leader – the corporation has encountered allegations of preferential treatment and questionable practices, which it disputes.

While local authorities describes it as a collaborative effort, the business group paid a significant amount for its 80% stake. A case claiming that the initiative was improperly granted to the business group is being considered in India's supreme court.

Ongoing Pressure

From when they initiated to publicly resist the redevelopment, local opponents state they have been subjected to ongoing efforts of harassment and intimidation – including phone calls, direct threats and suggestions that speaking against the initiative was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by figures they allege are associated with the corporate group.

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