the slum dweller. Slum activist Jockin Arputham says: "This policy is about giving cakes and carrots to builders and developers. It's not in the interest of improvement of slum dwellers."

In February, the Times of India reported that the Maharashtra state government had gifted 500 acres of land to a developer under a little-known rule that waives the requirement for the 70% mandatory consent to sell from slum dwellers.

The lack of trust and transparency over land procurement has brought some of the largest development projects to a standstill, while others have simply failed to take off.

In Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, which is located on prime land overlooking the city's new business district, residents are demanding larger homes and a guarantee of their livelihoods. With 80% of people self-employed inthe slum's core businesses in leather, recycling, garments and pottery, residents say they will not agree to any development plan unless they are allotted the same amount of workspace they currently occupy.

A short distance away, the Mumbai's international airport is in the midst of the city's largest slum clearance. The airport is right next to scores of slums that need to be moved for security reasons as well as for the airport's expansion. About 88,000 families need to be moved, but the scheme has met stiff opposition from residents who are ineligible for rehousing – while those who are entitled don't want to be rehoused away from their community, schools and jobs.

Mumbai's policy on slum clearance puts it at odds with the central government, which wants to see