mumbai.. everyone seems to be fighting for it..
but who does it belong to?
the koli(fishing tribe) community that used to inhabit the 7 islands* that formed mumbai?
(*Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island)
the various indigenous dynasties that occupied these islands..like the Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas etc etc..?
the sultanate of gujarat/mughal empire during the 15/16th century??
(islamic rulers... hmmm..both "Senas" would conveniently ignore this period)
or subsequently the portuguese/english settlers??
(christian lords.. oh boy.. this gets better by the minute!!!)
facts remain:
1. maharasthrians remain a minority in mumbai (approx 30% of total population)
2. mumbai contributes approx 5% of India's GDP (indian GDP estimated at 1.22 trillion dollars).
in return, BMC mumbai has budget allocation of only 5000 crores for infrastructure.
(BMC traditionally being the stronghold of the "sena"...compared to delhi,infrastructure in mumbai is a JOKE.)
3. if mumbai is called the commercial capital of india, then the business community of mumbai, predominantly gujaratis/marwadis/sindhis/parsis/punjabis/biharis/south indians...are solely responsible for the accounting of over 70% of capital transactions in the indian economy.
4. As per the indian constitution, every indian has the right to reside in any part of the country, engage in any legal form of employment, and enjoy equal rights as a citizen of this country.
Now, to draw a comparison with a very popular hindu god, Krishna...who was more fond of his foster mother than his real mother...
if i were mumbai,
would i belong to the millions of people who made me who i am today?
or
would i belong to those who claim to own me by virtue of my being born in their territory?
i fail to understand why some political parties think the "marathi manoos" needs help to get a job or make a living in mumbai?
if i were a maharastrian, i would be insulted that these parties consider me to be incapable of making it on my own merit!
on the other side, considering the severe budget constraints, i understand that the huge influx of outsiders into mumbai is sending mumbai back to the dark ages.
there is a simple solution, like every other populated city in the world, charge a premium for everything!
residential property prices are already beyond the avg middle class budget..
transport/road tax/electricity/water should also be charged at a premium...
not only will it promote more efficient usage.. but also make living in the city unviable for people who just turn up with nothing to do.
radical solution, yes. but necessary for the survival of mumbai.
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5 comments:
First of all kitna google maara Mumbai ke facts ke liye..
Second of all great write up and loved the analogy of Krishna
Third of all I don't think premium is an issue, I think expanding beyond limits of Mumbai should be the key. Shift major banks,IT Offices,the airport and part of the government offices to the outskirts and you can see the difference.The residential population will shift. This will decongest the city and make people stay in the outskirts where better amenities can be provided. A great example is Gurgaon and Chennai's IT corridor I think the Raigad SEZ might solve some of Mumbai's problems.
not google, sam... wiki.
expanding beyond mumbai has failed, CBD belapur/CIDCO being prime example.
and i will give you the reason for the failure too...
any new SEZ will still depend on work force from core mumbai itself, and for an avg commuter to travel from colaba to say CBD is nothing short of a nightmare!
so before any expansion can work, the govt needs to develop an alternate way of reaching the SEZ..
http://www.msrdc.org/Projects/Mumbai_trans_harbour.aspx
refer to link above.. lots of sea links being planned.. when they are completed.. navi mumbai can dream of being a satellite town.
It has nothing to do with premium for sure..anyways cost of living is high in mumbai..If political leaders in other states help in doing industrialisation then the probelm will be solved..e.g. now banglore is also drawing enough crowd..we need more job opportunities everywhere else in India and not just MH.
birdy: job opps in tier 2 cities exist.but still urban migration will continue to happen. its a reality facing every country in the world!
but an island city like mumbai can reduce the strain on infrastructure by chargin a premium (like singapore).
for eg. owning a second car, should attract a wealth tax.
consuming electricity/water beyond a certain limit should be charged heavily.
etc etc
this wont stop migration into mumbai, but def help reduce the strain on mumbai's infra.
another thing i wud love to see happen.. is unltd FSI in appropriate areas of mumbai..
BKC has already got it...
more areas.. and soon.. mumbai will boast of the tallest building in the world..
for sure!!!
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