Thousands of protesters led by opposition parties have marched towards billionaire Gautam Adani’s offices in Mumbai to voice their opposition to his conglomerate’s $US614 million ($917 million) redevelopment plans for one of Asia’s largest slums.

Protesters carried flags and banners with slogans such as “Remove Adani Save Dharavi” from the slum to Adani’s premises in the central business district of India’s financial capital on Saturday.

“We are not against development but the way the Dharavi redevelopment is planned it will only benefit Adani and not the slum residents,” leader of the Save Dharavi Committee (Dharavi Bachao Andolan) Baburao Mane said.

The protest comes amid growing political opposition to the state government – ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies – for giving undue favours to Adani firms in allotting and executing the slum overhaul contract.

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A rival bidder – a Dubai-based consortium – has mounted a legal challenge alleging the Maharashtra government improperly cancelled an original 2018 tender for the slum redevelopment and favoured Adani in awarding the new contract.

The Dharavi project was awarded to the Adani Group through a fair, open and internationally competitive bidding process, the conglomerate said in statement late on Saturday evening.

The state government has denied any wrongdoing and says the contract was awarded as per laws and policies.

Protesters have demanded that both eligible and non-eligible residents of the slum be housed inside the redeveloped area and be given bigger homes, instead of the promised 27 square metres to 46 square metres.

Some protesters also want the government to take over the slum overhaul from private developers such as Adani.

The Maharashtra state government in July approved Adani Group’s bid to overhaul Dharavi, which is known for producing leather goods, following years of failed attempts.

The slum, about three-quarters the size of New York’s Central Park, featured in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire, and has open sewers and shared toilets.

It is located close to Mumbai’s international airport and high-rise office blocks housing foreign companies, making a stark contrast to India’s development boom.

-Reuters