by Deepak Sawant 
Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is struggling with broken infrastructure—even after spending over ₹1 lakh crore on major projects like the metro and coastal roads. Mismanagement, poor planning, and bad priorities are leaving millions of residents frustrated and stuck. Urban activist Zoru Bhathena talks openly about why the city’s plans keep failing.
Two Different Worlds: Empty Bridges, Crowded Trains
Mumbai’s Infrastructure Crisis tells a strange story. The ₹15,000-crore Atal Setu bridge sees only about 20,000 cars each day. Meanwhile, 32 lakh people depend on BEST buses, which run on a very small budget of ₹100 crore. Local trains, packed beyond safety limits, are still the city’s main transport system.
The government keeps investing in projects like the Colaba-BKC-SEEPZ Metro—planned in the 1980s when Nariman Point was a busy commercial area. Today, Nariman Point is mostly quiet, but money still pours into linking it. At the same time, growing suburbs like Borivali and Virar are ignored, with fewer trains and buses.
Bhathena says, “The metro was planned when everyone went to South Mumbai. Now that it’s nearly empty, we’re still building it. And BEST buses dropped from 5,000 to just 1,000 in five years. Why not add 10,000 buses instead?”
Flooding Every Year: The Drainage Disaster
Every monsoon, parts of Mumbai flood like clockwork—especially places like Dadar TT and Hind Mata. The cause isn’t just rain, but poor drainage design. According to Bhathena, “Mumbai has bowl-shaped low areas where water collects naturally. Instead of fixing this, BMC just makes drains bigger, which sends more water to the same spots.”
A plan from 2016–18 to cut 30 trees to ‘help drainage’ only made things worse—because trees help absorb rainwater. The city also keeps building concrete roads, which are expensive and stop water from soaking into the ground. “Concrete roads cost ten times more and still don’t stop flooding,” Bhathena adds.
Wrong Focus: Who Really Gains?
The BMC, India’s richest municipal body, has the money but not a clear plan. Bhathena argues, “They have ₹10,000 crore but don’t fix real issues. It’s about spending money, not solving problems.”
For example, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link was built for ₹1,600 crore and was supposed to serve 1 lakh cars—it only gets 22,000. The coastal road, first estimated at ₹500 crore, has now shot up to ₹15,000 crore and helps just as few. Meanwhile, public transport is neglected. Metro Line 1 is overcrowded but hasn’t added extra coaches in 10 years due to red tape, though it would only cost ₹300 crore.
The Aarey Forest Fight: A Wake-Up Call
Between 2017 and 2019, citizens tried to save 3,000 trees in Aarey Forest from being cut for a metro depot. Despite protests, the trees were removed overnight and police arrested even young tribal girls who missed their exams.
Bhathena says, “We weren’t against the metro—we wanted to save trees. The government claimed there was no other land, but this was more about real estate than transport.” Now, a new depot in Mira-Bhayandar threatens 9,000 more trees, showing the same problem again: using infrastructure as an excuse for land deals.
A Broken Democracy
Since 2022, Mumbai has had no BMC elections. Without elected leaders, control has shifted to a few powerful hands. Bhathena believes this is intentional: “The BMC has the money. No elections mean the state government keeps control. It’s all about power and money.”
With no strong opposition, there’s no one to question bad decisions. “Democracy needs a strong opposition. Without it, things fall apart,” he says.
Is There Hope?
Mumbai’s problems come from focusing on flashy, expensive projects instead of basic public needs. Still, Bhathena believes people will eventually demand better. “We’ll hit rock bottom, and change will come,” he says. But with leaders chasing builder-backed projects and citizens too busy surviving to protest, real change may take time.
Bhathena ends with a strong message: “We’re not cattle. We have to speak up when things go wrong.”
What Can You Do?
Mumbai’s future depends on aware and active citizens. With BMC elections expected in 2025 or 2026, will you demand better from your leaders? Share your views and follow Zoru Bhathena for updates on Mumbai’s urban challenges.
