Intimidation, Anxiety and Hope as Mumbai Inhabitants Await the Bulldozers

Over an extended period, intimidating communications recurred. Initially, supposedly from a retired cop and an ex-military commander, and then from law enforcement directly. In the end, one resident states he was called to the local precinct and told clearly: remain silent or face serious consequences.

This third-generation resident is one of many opposing a high-value initiative where Dharavi – a massive informal community with rich history – faces bulldozed and modernized by a multinational conglomerate.

"The unique ecosystem of Dharavi is like nowhere else in the world," states Shaikh. "Yet they want to eradicate our social fabric and silence our voices."

Contrasting Realities

The cramped lanes of this community present a dramatic difference to the high-rise structures and elite residences that loom over the neighborhood. Homes are constructed informally and typically without proper sanitation, informal businesses produce dangerous fumes and the air is filled with the suffocating smell of uncovered waste channels.

Among some individuals, the promise of a renewed Dharavi into a developed area of high-end towers, well-maintained green spaces, shiny shopping centers and homes with two toilets is an aspirational dream come true.

"There's no proper healthcare, paved pathways or drainage and there's nowhere for kids to enjoy," states a chai seller, fifty-six, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in 1982. "The single option is to clear the area and provide modern residences."

Community Resistance

However, some, like Shaikh, are opposing the plan.

None deny that the slum, consistently overlooked as informal housing, is desperately requiring financial support and improvement. However they worry that this project – without public consultation – could potentially turn premium city property into an elite enclave, displacing the lower-caste, working-class residents who have been there since the late 1800s.

This involved these shunned, migrant workers who developed the vacant wetlands into a widely studied marvel of local enterprise and economic productivity, whose output is valued at between $1m and two million dollars annually, making it among the globe's biggest unregulated sectors.

Resettlement Issues

Out of about a million residents living in the crowded 2.2 square kilometer neighborhood, less than 50% will be eligible for new homes in the project, which is projected to take a significant period to accomplish. Others will be transferred to wastelands and coastal regions on the remote edges of the metropolis, threatening to fragment a historic social network. Certain individuals will not get residences at all.

Those allowed to remain in Dharavi will be provided apartments in tower blocks, a substantial change from the evolved, collective approach of residing and operating that has maintained this area for generations.

Businesses from garment work to pottery and waste processing are projected to shrink in number and be transferred to an allocated "industrial sector" distant from homes.

Survival Challenge

For those such as this protester, a workshop owner and multi-generational resident to call home the slum, the project presents a survival challenge. His rickety, multi-level workshop makes garments – tailored coats, premium outerwear, fashionable garments – marketed in high-end shops in upscale neighborhoods and internationally.

His family resides in the accommodations underneath and laborers and garment workers – workers from north India – reside in the same building, enabling him to afford their labour. Beyond Dharavi's enclave, housing costs are frequently tenfold more expensive for a single room.

Threats and Warning

Within the government offices in the vicinity, a visual representation of the redevelopment plan shows an alternative perspective. Slickly dressed people gather on bicycles and e-vehicles, purchasing continental baked goods and pastries and socializing on a terrace adjacent to Dharavi Cafe and Ice-Cream. It is a complete departure from the affordable idli sambar first meal and low-cost tea that maintains local residents.

"This represents no development for residents," explains Shaikh. "This constitutes a huge real estate deal that will price people out for our community to continue."

There is also concern of the development company. Managed by an influential industrialist – one of India's most powerful and a close ally of the national leader – the corporation has encountered allegations of favoritism and financial impropriety, which it denies.

Although the state government calls it a joint project, the corporation paid nearly a billion dollars for its majority share. A lawsuit claiming that the redevelopment was improperly granted to the corporation is under review in the top court.

Sustained Harassment

From when they initiated to actively protest the project, local opponents claim they have been faced a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation – involving phone calls, explicit warnings and implications that speaking against the project was tantamount to anti-national sentiment – by individuals they allege work for the corporate group.

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