Infrastructure in Mumbai: beating big city blues

Infra push in Mumbai must be backed by a qualitative upgrade in civic administration

The long-maligned but hard to repress spirit of Mumbai is on the upswing these days. After a four billion dollar infra upgrade and with more projects in the pipeline, it’s hard not to feel optimistic about the megapolis. The coastal road and the now-complete Metro 3 have bridged the gap between the western suburbs and south Mumbai, paving the way for the potential rejuvenation of the city’s original business district, Nariman Point. On the eastern side, the trans-harbour sealink, the new airport, and the upcoming metro line could lead to the potential of Navi Mumbai being released 50 years after the satellite city was conceived.

Mumbai will also have to address the twin issues of affordable housing and the absence of open spaces, which remain constant challenges and have impacted the inflow of young talent. (HT Archive)

An additional estimated $25 billion is expected to be spent in the next five years on the second leg of the upgrade that includes a dozen metro lines, the extension of the sealink all the way to Versova in the north and the east-west connector — the Sewri-Worli connector. Also upcoming are the bullet train project, the Vaadhvan seaport and the creation of a third Mumbai beyond Navi Mumbai. According to a Niti Aayog report from September last year, the GDP of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is likely to touch 300 billion dollars in the next seven years and generate additional three million jobs, restoring the city’s status as Urbs Prima in Indis (the first or the most prominent city in India).

But for that to happen, Mumbai will also have to address the twin issues of affordable housing and the absence of open spaces, which remain constant challenges and have impacted the inflow of young talent. Eye-watering realty deals make news headlines but they only serve to highlight the growing inequality. Increasingly, as the wealthy insulate themselves in towering condominiums with all amenities built in, soaring property prices are forcing the middle classes to the outer edges of the MMR from where they spend the better part of the day commuting to and from work. Certainly, this is not a new phenomenon, but as Mumbai scripts itself a new narrative, it cannot afford to leave behind those who populate this narrative.

These lessons should guide the planners as the city expands beyond Navi Mumbai, and, hopefully, gives birth to self-contained satellite towns. With more breathing space, these new urban areas can also become self-sustaining economies and help in decongesting older parts of the metropolis. While better connectivity within the MMR is always welcome, the need to undertake long and exhausting commutes diminish the brand. Importantly, the civic administration will need a qualitative upgrade to ensure that the capital invested in the city provides equitable returns in a class-agnostic manner.