It is time to expand the radius of these Metro cities beyond and have a twin city concept. We look at Mumbai as an example.
Mumbai is lauded as the commercial capital of India. We praise Mumbai’s resilience; it’s never say die attitude and the famous Mumbai spirit. A cluster of 7 islands deemed to be throwaway dowry, chosen by East India Company to be developed for logistical reasons, causing hundreds to migrate to the city. First there was the tram, then the famous Mumbai local and BEST buses…now it’s the Metro. Judging by all this, Mumbai is on the fast track to becoming the commercial hub of India…right?? Wrong…I may not win many fans here for saying this, but Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, because currently we don’t have any other option. A saying goes, “Some are born great, and some have greatness thrust upon them” Mumbai falls in the latter category.
There are many 2 tier cities developing and once these cities take a strong hold, Mumbai will loose its status as the commercial hub. For Mumbai to become the commercial hub, it has to undergo a lot of changes. I enlist some of them here:
Infrastructure: Admit it or not, Mumbai infrastructure is definitely not world class. It may be better compared to ill-connected Delhi or slow moving Kolkota, but certainly cannot match the class of Tokyo or New York. Why, Mumbai’s infrastructure cannot even stand shoulder to shoulder with China’s well connected roads and bullet trains. Our trains are overcrowded, late the minute monsoon hits us, and motorists have a tough time trying to locate the road amidst potholes. Throw in some flood and traffic jam, and the perfect Mumbai Monsoon scene is ready for media to glorify.
Tier-II cities: Mumbai has to be able to compete with the tier two cities now developing. Navi-Mumbai, Mumbai’s satellite city, itself, is giving Mumbai a run for its money. The satellite city is home to many IT parks and head office of various corporates. Same is true for Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and more recently Noida and Pune. These 2ndrung cities have the advantage of being better planned and equipped with better infrastructure, lesser population, tax breaks etc. Mumbai, on the other hand is crowded, expensive and polluted.
Cosmopolitan Outlook: Mumbai is, whatever it is due to the contribution of immigrants and localites alike, until Mumbai’s politicos admit this fact and accept immigrants as a part of Mumbai, without forcing them to blend in or lose their individuality, Mumbai will not gain the status of a commercial hub.
Terror Threat: Even though Mumbai’s lauded as a business centre, the recent 26/11 terror attacks tells a different story. No commercial capital of a country would be so ill equipped as to not be able to detect and prevent such attacks on time. While some may argue that Manhattan was a victim of 9/11, I point out that Mumbai has been a soft target since times immemorial. Terror has sneaked up on us not once, like our US counterpart, but thrice…1992 riots, 2006 blasts and 2008 attacks; all caught Mumbai unawares.
In short, for Mumbai to truly become India’s commercial hub, the quality of life, quality of infrastructure, quality of security and attitude—all need improvement.
Mumbai is lauded as the commercial capital of India. We praise Mumbai’s resilience; it’s never say die attitude and the famous Mumbai spirit. A cluster of 7 islands deemed to be throwaway dowry, chosen by East India Company to be developed for logistical reasons, causing hundreds to migrate to the city. First there was the tram, then the famous Mumbai local and BEST buses…now it’s the Metro. Judging by all this, Mumbai is on the fast track to becoming the commercial hub of India…right?? Wrong…I may not win many fans here for saying this, but Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, because currently we don’t have any other option. A saying goes, “Some are born great, and some have greatness thrust upon them” Mumbai falls in the latter category.
There are many 2 tier cities developing and once these cities take a strong hold, Mumbai will loose its status as the commercial hub. For Mumbai to become the commercial hub, it has to undergo a lot of changes. I enlist some of them here:
Infrastructure: Admit it or not, Mumbai infrastructure is definitely not world class. It may be better compared to ill-connected Delhi or slow moving Kolkota, but certainly cannot match the class of Tokyo or New York. Why, Mumbai’s infrastructure cannot even stand shoulder to shoulder with China’s well connected roads and bullet trains. Our trains are overcrowded, late the minute monsoon hits us, and motorists have a tough time trying to locate the road amidst potholes. Throw in some flood and traffic jam, and the perfect Mumbai Monsoon scene is ready for media to glorify.
Tier-II cities: Mumbai has to be able to compete with the tier two cities now developing. Navi-Mumbai, Mumbai’s satellite city, itself, is giving Mumbai a run for its money. The satellite city is home to many IT parks and head office of various corporates. Same is true for Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and more recently Noida and Pune. These 2ndrung cities have the advantage of being better planned and equipped with better infrastructure, lesser population, tax breaks etc. Mumbai, on the other hand is crowded, expensive and polluted.
Cosmopolitan Outlook: Mumbai is, whatever it is due to the contribution of immigrants and localites alike, until Mumbai’s politicos admit this fact and accept immigrants as a part of Mumbai, without forcing them to blend in or lose their individuality, Mumbai will not gain the status of a commercial hub.
Terror Threat: Even though Mumbai’s lauded as a business centre, the recent 26/11 terror attacks tells a different story. No commercial capital of a country would be so ill equipped as to not be able to detect and prevent such attacks on time. While some may argue that Manhattan was a victim of 9/11, I point out that Mumbai has been a soft target since times immemorial. Terror has sneaked up on us not once, like our US counterpart, but thrice…1992 riots, 2006 blasts and 2008 attacks; all caught Mumbai unawares.
In short, for Mumbai to truly become India’s commercial hub, the quality of life, quality of infrastructure, quality of security and attitude—all need improvement.
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