A megapolis without adequate pavements and cycling tracks. That’s what Mumbai is; a fact that Maharashtra’s Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik reiterated at an Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry event on Friday. She said, “Right now it’s not a very walkable or bikeable city. How do we work towards that, is the big question.”
The senior-most bureaucrat of Maharashtra said sustainable urbanisation requires “building, or at least planning to build” a greener and more inclusive city where renewable energy powers industries and green spaces are a part of urban planning.
Is anyone paying heed to any constructive criticism or commentary? Civil society groups have often highlighted the problems of walkers and cyclists but those concerns have gone unheard.
While French Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, said Mumbai has to pay attention to ecological challenges given the fact that it is a coastal city and the rising sea levels are feared to eat up 10% of the landmass in the next 50 years, Saunik said Maharashtra is looking forward to help from France in making the metro network “more cohesive” and making intra-city transport easier.
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In response to Saunik’s comment, Vedant Mhatre, program coordinator of Walking Project, a grassroots advocacy campaign to create safe and joyful walking environment in Mumbai, said, “It is a known fact that we have discontinued footpaths and the overall infrastructure is not at par with the requirements.”
Mhatre said they are in constant deliberation with the BMC but it feels there is not enough push towards trying to solve the problem. “Higher officials accept the fact but until there is a concerted effort by the authorities, we cannot see much change,” he said.
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Dr Vishwanathan Iyer, a neurosurgeon and the cycle mayor of Mumbai, said, “Coming from the Chief Secretary makes the truth even more bitter. Last mile connectivity is a serious issue in Mumbai and it is based on walking or sharing rickshaws or taxis. In most of the road accidents, pedestrians and cyclists are the major victims.”
Avinash Thawani, founder of MumbaiMarch, an organisation actively highlighting these missing links, said, “A lot of areas in the suburbs of Mumbai do not have footpaths and if they have, they are encroached by hawkers. A lot of newly constructed bridges either have no pedestrian space or the space allotted can allow only one person to walk at a time. I don’t know if a statement by such a senior bureaucrat will actually change anything, but I just hope to see a better Mumbai.”