MUMBAI, Aug. 7 -- At Meghwadi, one of the oldest slum settlements in Dharavi, frantic scenes played out on the streets on Thursday after demolition crews arrived without warning and started tearing down residents' homes. As women hurriedly stuffed clothes into plastic bags, children clung to their parents, packing school bags and books while earthmovers moved into the settlements' narrow lanes near the railway tracks at the Matunga Labour Camp. "Hammers rained down on school books even as children pleaded with the workers to return them," said Karunanidhi Kannan, an advocate from Dharavi. On Thursday, four homes housing three families in Meghwadi were razed as part of the Rs.95,790-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project being executed by Adani Navbharat Developers Private Limited (ANDPL). It marked the start of the demolition of Meghwadi's 45 slum homes as the city's largest redevelopment project enters its early stages. Residents say they are not opposing redevelopment per se but are furious at not being served notice to vacate. They say they were orally informed on Tuesday that they would have to move out "immediately" but were not given a formal notice. "We were still removing our belongings when they turned up today and started breaking our homes," said one resident, standing beside a heap of broken furniture and utensils. "We kept asking for time, but nobody listened." A spokesperson for ANDPL said, "The construction of railway premises is affected by the slums of Meghwadi and accordingly this area is being vacated. The land thus made available by clearing the priority slums of Meghwadi will enable the construction activity." He added, "Residents who have agreed to shift have been paid one year's rent in advance to help them move into temporary accommodation of their choice. They have also been given brokerage and shifting assistance. Rent support will continue with a 5% annual increase until they move into their permanent rehabilitation homes as per the project's rehabilitation policy." Meghwadi was among the first clusters surveyed under the Dharavi redevelopment project in June last year, and is among the first to be cleared by ANDPL. But Thursday's eviction drive caught them off-guard. "My daughter is preparing for her Class 10 exams. Men entered our homes and dragged us out. She was terrified. Our neighbours also came out shouting, asking them to stop. Yet we were forcefully evicted," said Savita Reddy, a tenant living in a ground-plus-one structure. Reddy called the owner of the tenement, Suresh Parmar, who rushed to the site. "I didn't receive any notice from the authorities. I didn't approach the court like some of the others have, nor am I against this development. All I expected was time to clear the home and provide alternative arrangements," said Parmar. As brick walls were knocked down within minutes and tin roofs that had sheltered generations crumpled, an elderly resident fainted and was carried away to safety by neighbours. Ashish Maru, another Meghwadi resident, was worried about the rental arrangement with ANDPL. "They are giving us only Rs.18,000 per month as rent but that is not sufficient," he said. Meghwadi residents argue that there are many other challenges. Residents living in informal slum clusters are often unable to produce documents required by developers. As a result, many who should be given alternative accommodation have been classified as "ineligible", they say. It is not known when the demolition will continue....