In a phone conversation on Tuesday afternoon, Arputham said he hoped to find a “via media” to conduct the survey in a way that qualitative data from Dharavi’s households is collected and residents’ opinions and hopes taken into account in designing the project.

Mashaal— it has earlier conducted surveys for civic corporations of Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur—certainly has the technical expertise for an accurate survey, Mahajan said, notwithstanding the political stand of any senior activists. “For the first time, all details of the survey will be available on a website, it will be a transparent process and accurate, factual details will be available to all, including critics of the project,” he added.

Arputham, who has been associated with Mashaal for well over a decade, is also part of various other NGOs, Mahajan pointed out. “If he felt any other organisation is better equipped, they could have bid. I’m sure the government would have given them a fair chance in the selection procedure,” he stated.