Ganesh Krupa Society is part of Golibar, Mumbai's second largest slum, spanning 140 acres. The site is at the centre of a fierce battle between its residents and a developer that wants to raze the area to make way for a commercial project.

Already concrete homes across this narrow maze of more than 300 dwellings have been demolished.

In January, violence erupted when the developer tried to evict 45 families following a high court order. None of the families moved, claiming their signatures consenting to the project had been forged. Devasandhan Nair, 47, a resident, says: "The basis of redevelopment is consent but our consent was forged. Even a dead woman's signature was forged. How can the court instruct the builder to evict us when a forgery case has beenup in slums elsewhere. Simpreet Singh, an activist, says high levels of migration to the city due to a lack of rural jobs combined with a shortage of affordable housing means people have no choice but to flock to the city and live in slums.

So far only 100,000 homes have been built under the scheme in the last 12 years – and 35% of those rehoused have returned to slums because maintenance costs are too steep in their new accommodation. Around 1.2m homes are needed to house the city's slum dwellers.

Against the backdrop of Mumbai's rapidly changing skyline of malls and plush high-rise apartments, the common complaint among the poor and powerless is that the government, corrupt politicians and developers are colluding to grab their land and short-change