Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) managing director Ashwini Bhide spoke about the challenges in acquiring public spaces for construction activity, and highlighted problems infrastructure projects face in a city like Mumbai.
Ms. Bhide was delivering a lecture on ‘Challenges and Opportunity on Revamping Urban Infrastructure’ organised by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai on Wednesday.
The event was chaired by former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sharad Kale.
“Many a time we need to use open spaces designated for other uses,” said Ms. Bhide, pointing the issues they face in getting clearances for construction at Cross Maidan, Azad Maidan and Siddhivinayak Garden.
About the Aarey car shed, she said, “Even the land owned by the government is difficult to apportion.”
Tree-cutting
Ms. Bhide said, “The stay on tree-cutting may have led to delays and cost escalation, but citizen’s vigilance kept contractors on their toes.”
The MMRCL chief also said that the delay due to stoppage of work at night will be close to four months. “Increasing tendency of opposing things for the sake of it, emotive responses to problems, which could be solved with a dash of pragmatism or prudence, shallow public discourse based on fabricated facts on social media platforms, and ‘not in my backyard’ approach are emerging as fresh social challenges, which have the potential to stall or slow down a project.”
Displacement
Among the other major challenges infrastructure projects face are social challenges like displacement of people, land acquisition, and disturbance to commercial activities.
Ms. Bhide gave the example of the Kalbadevi redevelopment plan and said that it provided an opportunity to test a new redevelopment model. The plan involves providing in situ rehabilitation for residential and commercial properties in 19 buildings in Kalbadevi and is said to cost around ₹700 crore. The MMRCL chief said it is necessary to have a single administrating body in metro cities, and empower urban local bodies.
