100 promises, zero action

As Mumbai heads towards the civic elections the city is being flooded with big promises and shiny plans But what people truly want is a political party with a manifesto that has a clear commitment to end flooding fix potholes improve footpaths and air quality and make the city liveablePoliticians are talking about bird parks golf courses new tunnels and bridges and sparkling worldclass projects Yet as metro cities rush towards earning the tag of ldquoSmart Cityrdquo Mumbai and other urban centres still struggle with the most basic problems that have gone unresolved for decadesPrimarily people living in Mumbai Thane MiraBhayander and VasaiVirar are tired of the daily struggles of navigating each day Clean and safe streets and proper civic amenities are supposed to be fundamental rights and every party lists them in their manifestoBut once in power almost everything on the list is forgotten At least in this election will any party stand up for the taxpaying Mumbaikar who continues to struggle even for basic civic amenitiesNow is the time for elected representatives to put people before projects and commit to fixing longpending problems like reclaiming footpaths enforcing traffic rules and making streets safe for pedestriansAcross Mumbai neglect is impossible to miss Major roads like S V Road Linking Road right from Bandra to Dahisar service lanes along both eastern and western expressways are clogged not just with traffic but with layers of encroachment Hawkers illegal garages eateries marriage lawns parking occupied by used car dealers and service centres have taken over public spaces Footpaths have all but vanished forcing pedestrians onto dangerously busy roads where fastmoving vehicles ply Borivli offers a stark example A road meant for BEST buses has been so overtaken by hawkers that public transport buses have been forced to change their route permanently despite the road running right next to a police station and a courtPublic spaces meant for citizens have quietly been treated like private property No parking or reserved boards appear on BMC land put by shop owners and hoteliers with complete impunityThe depth of the crisis becomes clear through two telling moments reported by the media First even those running the city admit they cannot navigate it safely A former municipal commissioner now retired once revealed that he cannot take his own elderly parents for a simple walk If the cityrsquos top officials cannot walk its streets or pavements without worry what hope is there for an ordinary Mumbaikar especially for women senior citizens and childrenSecond the Bombay High Court itself sounded the alarm While hearing one of the petitions the judge observed that the spread of illegal hawking is like a ldquomenacerdquo overtaking the city The encroachment of public spaces is eroding pedestrian safety and choking the cityrsquos basic functioning All this happens despite clear rules by the court banning hawking within 100 metres of schools temples hospitals and within 150 metres of railway stationsThe numbers speak louder than any speech It is said that officially Mumbai has around 32000 licensed hawkers but hawker unions estimate the real number exceeds three lakh In 20232024 the BMC took action against 337 lakh hawkers and collected R514 crore in fines But most of them returned to the same spots within days The message is clear fines alone do not workWhat is needed is consistent enforcement stronger penalties and stricter measures including jail for repeat offenders or else the cycle will never endThe cost of this neglect is not merely inconvenience it is deadly With footpaths disappearing and roads turning into obstacle courses pedestrians are forced into the path of speeding vehicles An RTI inquiry by midday revealed the grim human toll Between 2013 and 2012 4514 people died in road accidents in Mumbai and over half were pedestriansThe stats clearly indicate that lives are lost because the city refuses to guarantee safe places to walk and policemen failing to maintain law and orderEven the BJPrsquos outreach campaign ldquoAwaaz Mumbaikarancha Sankalp BJP chardquo public outreach programme conducted in Mumbai to understand peoplersquos views and expectations from the city reflects public frustrationWith 265 lakh responses the survey found that 53 per cent of Mumbaikars are unhappy with basic civic services Their demands are straightforward fix potholes clear garbage clean drains and prevent flooding during the monsoon These are not luxuries but the bare minimumThe people have spoken Now the administration police and political leadership must respond with action not wordsIf citizens really want lsquoAchhe Dinrsquo voters whether living in slums middle class societies or highrise towers must stand united in their demand no new promises until old ones to fix basic problems are fulfilledReclaim public spaces enforce traffic laws Make streets and footpaths safe Only then does Mumbai truly aspire to be a ldquosmart cityrdquoIf state leadership once again fails to show the political will and basic sense to solve these longpending issues Mumbaikars will be left with no choice but to continue living with reluctant acceptance humming that old Bollywood song ldquoYeh dil mushkil jeena yahan yeh hai Bombay meri jaanrdquoSanjeev Shivadekar is political editor midday He tweets SanjeevShivadekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper