Mumbaikars to choose which potholes to be audited

Mumbai and Potholes

Finally the BMC has shortlisted two firms; Swiss firm SGS & Indian Register which will now  conduct an audit of potholes at a cost of around Rs. 10 lakh  following the scam which involves filling of potholes. Earlier BMC drew a list by themselves and selected only 20% of reported potholes which were to be audited for the quality material used but that move was not a success in impressing the opposition. The opposition demanded that citizens should themselves get the chance to choose the potholes that are to be scrutinized.  BMC introduced the pothole tracking software to usher transparency, further a third party audit was also planned but wasn’t done immediately. The audit has already faced a delay and there’s a major centre between civic engineers and contractors. Corporator Makar and Narvekar think the audit will be a waste of taxpayers' money. If not citizens, then the auditors must be allowed to choose potholes. Meanwhile, though BMC claims the audit has begun, the auditors themselves said a work order is yet to be issued.

Will short listing of the audit firms ease the problem of Mumbaikars travelling and help them in smooth commuting? It ideally would.

Read More

Terminal T2 -Time to fly higher

Terminal T2

Finally, a door is opened as the new gateway to Mumbai, the T2 terminal and strengthen the position of Mumbai. This can be seen as a victory in infrastructure wise for Mumbai. T2 has 140 counters with a large waiting area which will reduce the chaos and crowd within premises. And, the  multilevel car park with space for over 5,000 vehicles, the 9 storied car parking is one of the biggest in the country. There are 3 floors underground and 6 floors above ground in the car park. The roof of the car park matches with departure curve and converted it into the entire garden and open spaces and this is going to be one of the largest open garden space in Mumbai. Moreover, it consists of 37 travelators, 48 escalators and 72 elevators aid those who fret over rushing to take connecting flights. From 2300 CCTV cameras to a Fire Alarm System that comprises of 70,000 detection devices with 400 km of cables along T2, to the security check in counters being placed even before the immigration area, great stress has been laid to ensure safety and security at T2.

And, it has nearly 3,000 cameras inside the building, kilometres and kilometres of cables, so one can go on with the statistics. A 6 lane elevated road will lead passengers from the Western Expressway to T2 cutting down on travel time. When fully functional, domestic flights too will be shifting to the terminals. For now all set to handle international flights in the next few weeks Mumbai awaits its newest landmark. Now the new Mumbai Airport will expand the capacity of the passengers from the current 30 million to 40 million.

It seems that the financial capital of India got some international potential and style.

Read More

Mumbai : Glory and Growth

Glorious Mumbai 

Mumbai development and growth has been contributed by the deep natural port and the growth in industrial development as it is located within the west coast.

Mumbai named as the world’s alpha city, this entertainment and commercial hub occupies a top ten position among other cities, in global economic flow. It accounts to India’s GDP at 5 percent, has an industrial output of 25 percent, and generates capital transactions and maritime trade at 70 percent. 

Within Mumbai’s metropolis, organizations such as the Bombay Stock Exchange, Reserve Bank, National Stock Exchange, SEBI, and various Indian multinational corporations, such as Essel Group, Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group and other companies, are located. Marathi television and Bollywood film industries, are also housed within this city.

Mumbai development and growth, has been enhanced by the abundance of business opportunities, and the possibility of employment and improved living standards. This has attracted migrants from all corners of India, creating a mixture of cultures and communities within a melting pot.

Apparently, Mumbai contributes to India’s economic growth in entertainment, commercial and fashion industries. The sea port and textile mills have for many years being the foundation of the city’s economic growth. However, an up cropping of industries has arisen to play a major role in information technology, healthcare and engineering. 

This fundamental economic hub is also the center of main government offices. Consumer industries abound in food, hotel and clothing sectors. The commercial artery is further emphasized by the presence of luxurious hotels, ethnic Indian cuisine, supermarkets, malls, stores, the Dabbawala food system, road-side hawkers and vendors. 

From the Hindi film industry, to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, automotive parts, tractors, utensils, pencils, clothing, textile, biscuits industries, and the export and import sectors, Mumbai development and growth continues to elevate this land of opportunities in a class of its own.

Life in this city is fast-paced, with residents spending significant time commuting in trains. The metropolis has a host of road-side food kiosks, online ordering food services and gourmet restaurants that serve cuisines from Lebanon, Thailand, Korea, Mexico, Chinese, Continental, India and Italy. Coffee and tea are favorite beverages, and so is coconut water and fruit juices.

Mumbai is divided into upmarket residential areas for the affluent and the low market areas occupied by middle class to poor families. The south of Mumbai that extends from Colaba to Mahim, is the richest precinct in India. Situated in the eastern part of the city is Vikhroli a peaceful high-class residential suburb. 

Dharavi slum a diverse multi-ethnic and multi-religious settlement is the largest of its kind, worldwide. Goregaon a previous middle class abode, has altered its standard to a higher class level. It hosts film studios such as Film City and Filmistan.

Mumbai, the most extensively populous urban area worldwide, boasts the highest GDP among all the cities in the south, west and central Asia. This has contributed immensely to Mumbai development and growth.

Read More

Mumbai got funds to improve the quality of life

Mumbai and Malnutrition

Mumbai has a profound growth against all its odds and challenges. Now, the government of Mumbai is fighting to improve its human development index (HDI) which is one of the lowest in the world. The city will require a huge amount of Rs 12,447 crore as special grant to develop basic infrastructure so that it matches the rapid pace of urbanization and industrialisation.

The HDI of the city "The commission should make available around Rs 3.46 lakh crore for the city during the five-year period between 2015-16 and 2019-20 looking at the metro region's importance and need to enhance its rank among the top cities in the world," Chavan s
aid to commission chairman Dr Y V Reddy and his colleagues at a presentation. Many ministers and IAS officers attended the meeting at Sahyadri guest house.

To make the city an attractive international destination and promote it as a tourist choice, the state insisted on larger funding in the years to come and demanded an extra Rs 1,700 crore to build the Surya water dam project in Thane district to service the metro region.

The state appealed to the commission to allocate up to Rs 10,000 crore to meet contingencies, besides Rs 4,175 crore for water purification and sewage disposal. The state wants around Rs 8,000 crore to maintain roads and government buildings besides Rs 3,380 crore for irrigation projects. Around Rs 21,097 crore are required to strengthen tourism and education infrastructure and modernize sales tax system and the forensic laboratories.

The thirteenth finance commission had facilitated Rs 91,709 crore for the state. Hope this improving HDI will make Mumbai, a better place for people of every strata and community. 

Read More

Politics is Pleasing when it is Progressive

Progressive Mumbai 

188 check-in counters, 60 immigration sites for departing passengers and 76 immigration counters for incoming fliers, 52 boarding gates, around 11,000 seats, 101 toilets, 44 travelators, 16 lounges, and 10 baggage carrousels.

We are neither talking about Terminal 5 of London’s Heathrow Airport nor about Terminal 3 of Singapore’s Changi Airport but Mumbai’s own state-of-the-art and swanky T2. The financial capital of India can now boast of an airport at par with the best in the world. From gardens and fountains to multilevel car parks, the T2 at GVK Chhatrapati Shivaji International has everything to provide fliers a whole new experience with its features. The most attractive feature of the swanky terminal is the museum of artifacts. The exquisite 3 km art wall will surely grab your eyeballs.

“There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future. The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented, and we believe this is the most important problem we can focus on.” - Mark Zuckerberg

In a layman’s language, ‘Better the infrastructure, the more developed the country’. The saying looks good on paper but not all political parties believe in this ideology. In past one decade Mumbai has transformed from a satellite township to a self-sufficient urban destination. From suburban train services to the various slum rehabilitation schemes, Mumbai has truly witnessed a politics of improvement, betterment and empowerment. 

Read More

Monorail gets a safety nod !!

Mumbaikars will soon be able to travel by the country's first monorail as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MM- RDA) got a safety clearance certificate for Phase I (Chembur-Wadala). The 20-km monorail corridor is between Chembur and Jacob Circle. Phase I comprises of a 8.8-km Chembur-Wadala stretch which will have seven stations, including Wadala Depot, Bhakti Park, Mysore Colony, Bharat Petroleum, Fertilizer Township, VNP/R C Marg and Chembur.

Mumbai Monorail

The Wadala-Chembur journey will be completed in 19 minutes but the section will initially operate for only five hours a day with a nine-minute frequency. Fares will be from Rs 5 to Rs 19 and there will be an automated fare collection system at all stations

Inauguration Of Monorail

In 2008 when the decision to introduce this Mass Rapid Transit System was taken to enhance clean urban transport, Mr. Kamat’s persistent efforts resulted in the approval and sanction of Mono rail , the first of its kind in the country, costing Rs 2600 crores to be implemented from Chembur to Jacob Circle in Phase I. The project was inaugurated in Chembur (Mr. Kamat’s then constituency) at the hands of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Ashok Chavan.Mr.Gurudas Kamat with his consistent efforts ensured that Mumbai gets a safe, air-conditioned, comfortable and affordable transport service.

MonoRail is one of the key infrastructure initiatives which Mr. Kamat has diligently pursued fulfilling Mumbai's growing Urban Transportation needs.

The bus services operating currently in the crowded and narrow areas of Mumbai ply at very slow speed and add to the traffic congestion. Once the commercial operations of the monorail commence, all these issues will be resolved and it will be a boon for Mumbaikars.

Read More

My Mumbai - A dream and a reality :)

Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million.

Mumbai - City of Dreams

The Mumbai, where thousands starry-eyed people came everyday, to make a future for themselves. Mumbai embraced them and gave them the opportunity that they were looking for. It nourishes dreams, aspirations and reality of sweet-bitter life.

There is a Mumbai before the bomb blasts, the Mumbai before the communal riots, the Mumbai before the underworld rule……It has no safety issue or security concern.

I wrote Mumbai several times because it has several aspects to discover by looking into people, places, events, chaos intensely through my eyes and my blog. 

It’s time to turn and spin together the various chapters of Mumbai Diari-es. J

Read More