Nothing civic about it

Lack of vision has left Mumbai’s satellite town struggling with the same problems as its older sibling

After years of living in bustling Mumbai, marketing executive Binal Shah dreamt of ‘getting away’ to a quieter place with a better lifestyle. But five years after she moved to Navi Mumbai, Shah is praying that the satellite city speeds up its development. “While the population here has grown, development is sporadic,” she says. “We have five hours of power cut, water shortage and very few buses.”

Maharashtra’s dream project, Navi Mumbai, was supposed to be a solution to Mumbai’s problems, with sports clubs, golf courses, colleges, SEZs and other facilities. The plan was to develop 344 sq km between Thane and Uran creek to house Mumbai’s businesses and government institutions at CBD Belapur. But when the plan failed, Navi Mumbai turned into a viable residential option.

Today, after 37 years, Navi Mumbai with a 12 lakh population has seen a property boom with certain areas such as Vashi and Nerul fetching Rs6,000 per sq feet. However power cuts, water shortage, bad roads, traffic jams, overcrowded trains and inadequate medical facilities, has become the order of the day, making people wonder if this is, indeed, a better option.

Lack of connectivity to Mumbai tops the list. The recently-held IPL match at DY Patil Stadium in Nerul is proof of this. “We left the stadium at midnight and there was no way to get to Nerul station. No autorickshaws or buses. We had to walk it,” says Andheri resident Govind Narayanan. Things are no different for Vashi resident Dilip Desai. “I work in Mumbai Central and travel four hours daily. I take two trains and have to wait 30 minutes for a bus. I prefer sharing an auto instead,” he says.

Approximately 11.5 lakh people travel by the harbour line daily, yet Central Railways (CR) have only 600 trains on this line. “Right now we are unable to increase the load beyond Wadala. However, we have increased the number of trains between the Thane-Vashi and Panvel-Andheri routes,” says Sriniwas Mudgerikar, chief PRO, CR.

Connectivity isn’t the only issue. Travelling within Navi Mumbai, too, can be a nightmare: Trains are infrequent, buses fewer in the afternoons and late evenings and no options for short-distance travel. “A family outing is a problem. We are forced to take the car and pay a huge toll tax as rickshaws aren’t allowed to travel between districts,” says Desai.

Power shortage, too, is a matter of concern. The belt between Airoli and Uran faces, on an average, power cuts for three hours. “Senior citizens are the most inconvenienced,” says Sayed Afsar Imam, president of the Navi Mumbai Welfare Association.

Of all the infrastructure ‘must-haves’, medical help is high on the list. Despite the three teaching hospitals and private hospitals, residents still prefer travelling to Mumbai for treatment. “My younger brother was admitted to a local hospital but the doctors didn’t know what was wrong. After six days we took him to KEM, where he was diagnosed with TB. Had this been detected earlier, we could have saved him,” says Airoli-resident Sunil Gaonkar, who states that the nearest public hospital is an hour away.

“The problems of Navi Mumbai are the same as other cities. But it is still a great place to live in peace,” says an NMMC official. Experts say the main problem is a lack of foresight. Development is not in tandem with the annual 25 per cent growth.

“Connectivity and economic viability are important for a planned city. Navi Mumbai’s economy was to be based on manufacturing, but the 1980s slump hampered the proposed move of government and financial institutions. Development of the port and other communications was also hampered. It is now being revived but in a haphazard way,” says urban planner VK Phatak.

But Navi Mumbai is still attractive. “It is far from the madding crowd and there are vast open spaces and better parking facilities. In the end, it is a great option for a family,” says Shah.

b_sanghamitra@dnaindia.net

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