Mumbai Traffic Woes!
I don’t know what the hell is Mumbai Traffic Department doing? I don’t know what the hell is the Government doing? I don’t know what the hell are MLAs, ex-corporators doing of my city? I don’t know why the hell, my city’s main and arterial road is dug up every second day? I don’t know the answers. When the entire city has been dug up for the metro and monorail, why can’t I see 500-1000 laborers working on- site everyday? Agenda is to finish the work ASAP right? You guys observe, there will be very minimal labourers on the site. Has Metro , Monorail, Coastal roads just “tucked” up our city? The answer is a big YES! By building coastal roads, sea-links, MTHL (Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link) and various other big highways, the government is in fact encouraging people to buy more cars, rather than discouraging it.
Then why is the government constructing metros and monorails in the city and ‘tucking’ up our otherwise small roads if they are building new roads? Why aren’t the numbers of rickshaws, OLA’s, Uber’s, not limited? Why are the sales of smaller private cars so high? Every alternate car is a taxi and rickshaw (in suburbs) and you won’t believe, this is as per a Crime Branch officer, there are 3 rickshaws of 1 number plate and 3 rickshaws there are 3 shifts means on 1 rickshaw registration 9 people are making a livelihood, and that too illegally. Just the ‘Billa’ and ‘Vardi’ gets exchanged at the end of the shift. There are about 4-6 lakh rickshaws running on Mumbai (MMR) roads and you will be surprised that not even half are registered with the Mumbai/Thane RTO. Mumbai is becoming a den for illegal activities, population influx, giving a nightmare to the original Mumbaikar. Mr. CM Shinde, 2024 elections are coming. We are taking 1 hour to cover 15 minute distances. Are you doing anything for us, Mumbaikars? What have the Guardian Ministers planned to deal with the traffic snarls everyday? The other day (last Saturday) CM Shinde came to Juhu Chowpatty and my God, I thought I was living in the 1980’s. Roads were being washed with water, there were BMC workers cleaning the roads and all the rickshaws were parked in the bylanes of Juhu.
Loans are made available cheaply so that even a person earning Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh per person is affording a car, if not brand new, a second hand one! Many people are have stopped going to offices as a lot of us don’t want to spend 4 hours in the car. A lot of them have switched back to their old Mumbai local love, but tell me, is this what planning of a city that has an international standing is? Boss, MLAs go abroad to do various courses and study tours in a University (don’t know what was the outcome) but then what do they bring back? Half of them who travel abroad can’t even converse in Hindi, forget English! What do you all actually learn my friends ? Forget learning, we all know what happens. You are the people who are indirectly promoting illegal constructions of “jhopdi” for your vote bank, allowing illegal vendors on the street to sell their stuff which in-turn affects the free movement of traffic, as “encroachment” is our city’s middle name. Read Hill Road, Bandra West.
If not Metro or Monorail work, BMC comes and digs up the road in the name of repairs. Then we have Adani, MTNL who are drilling at some place or the other. Then there is double parking everywhere, which our cops won’t do anything, but yes, at night they will stand very diligently to check, drink and drive and take hafta’s. Bloody nonsense! Half of the time signals are not working and it is controlled by cops. Why? We have a company right whose has the contract to see if working of traffic signals is perfect, isn’t he paid on time or are his bills too, put on hold for your commission, BMC?
People are fed-up with this, Mr Shinde. If a stern traffic policy is not made, it is the end of Mumbai. There has to be a control of the influx of people and regulations of auto rickshaws and these private taxis and even private car purchases. Now if all this was not enough I can see ‘tuckers’ riding small electric bikes for Swiggy and Zomato deliveries.
In developed countries if a road is dug up, all the work of the road happens at night. There are double the workers who execute a particular job. There are fines and penalties at place for contractors who don’t abide by the rules. And during the day when there is traffic, these dug up roads are covered by huge iron plates or iron lids on which you can easily drive and it does not hamper the traffic.
Why can’t we see the projects getting a closure? For years and years all roads Metro work is just going on and on and on.. We pay interest on loans secured by you, we stand in traffic snarls, and yet you want us to vote for you? Ridiculous. I think I have come to a conclusion that construction of Metro and Monorails has in fact made our city look uglier with the zopadpattis.
You are promoting more people to buy more cars. In fact if you wanted to construct Metros and Underground trains for Mumbai, it shouldn’t have been in the middle of the city but on the sea with connecting roads and bridges where the Sea-Link and MTHL stands. But then who had heard the requests and suggestions made by the Singaporean Planner who had visited one of the CM’s of the past?
I pray to God, please save my Mumbai!
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
