Activists, architects and academicians came together this weekend to discuss the lack of planning in the city, environmental hazards posed by development projects, and the callous nature of the establishment.
The three-hour discussion on urban planning was at an event called ‘Chala Mumbai (Let’s go Mumbai) - A City for People’, held at Cama Hall in Kalaghoda on Saturday.
Ashok Datar, chairman of the Mumbai Environmental Social Network, said India has too little infrastructure for transport and too much in other fields. “Cars require more space for parking than for driving, but the country lacks well-maintained parking spaces,” Mr. Datar said.
Architect Nitin Killawala pointed out flaws in the Metro system. “Ideally, all Metro lines should be underground, as opposed to the elevated Metro system that the city has adopted. The D.N Nagar to Mandale Metro route, which was supposed to start functioning by now, has still not taken off. Even though Metro lines are already under construction, the land for Metro yards has not been acquired,” he said.
Hussain Indorewala, a faculty member at the L.S Raheja School of Architecture, said improving the BEST bus services can be a solution to the city traffic. Referring to the coastal road project, he said, “The city lacks dedicated bus lanes and long-term financial funding from the government. In such a scenario, the government should not promote private vehicle use.”
Firoza Suresh, who runs the Smart Commute Foundation, said a good way to curb traffic and pollution was to encourage people to use bicycles as an alternative mode of transport. She expressed disappointment at the government's inability to fulfil the promise to provide cycle tracks in the city.
Also in attendance was environmentalist Stalin D., who highlighted the ecological hazards of several developmental projects. “The Aarey forest is under the threat of becoming a Metro yard, even though there other options available. Land for the Navi Mumbai International Airport was acquired at the risk of affecting about 280 species of birds, which eventually left the area. Further, two well-connected cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad don’t need a bullet train. It is simply a stunt to show that India can have something fancy, even though the Prime Minister knows nobody is going to use it,” he said.
