Dharavi redevelopment: A tale of two surveys

In April 2004, the government asked M/S Prashant Survey to carry out a plane table survey, contour survey and socio-economic baseline survey of entire Dharavi in 35 days at an estimated cost of Rs72 lakh. The agency could not complete the survey on time because of resistance from various local groups.

DNA found that Prashant could not meet the deadline but its reports were accurate. After three years, around 7-8 people formed a group and started petitioning the government to change the surveying agency.

This group had three people from the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centre (SPARC), a husband-wife architect duo and a former chief secretary among others.

In November 2007, the government gave in to their demands and asked the Maharashtra Social Housing and Action League (MASHAL) to conduct a plane table survey and baseline survey (BSES) of all slum-dwellers within three months at an estimated cost of Rs1.40 crore.

But this agency too could not complete the survey on time. The reason: local resistance from some pockets. But minutes of several meetings of the committee of secretaries point out that MASHAL had given inflated figures under certain heads and the agency boss had been reprimanded as well.

Even after changing the agency and spending Rs1.40 crore, the government used figures from the Prashant survey while inviting tenders for the DRP.