Comments on: New Bombay or Renew Bombay

By: Sugandh

Sugandh — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 08:59:43 +0000

I think you are over emphasizing the importance of CIDCO here.
The guys at CIDCO were involved in big scams, giving away away houses and land at prices. Recently there was lot of tensions between the two communities staying here and one major reason for it was anger with CIDCO. Natives here feel cheated and feel thier land was grabbed. Nothing new we must say in a country like India.

But i must say roads are much better there. But, hey check out mumbai in 2007, once MUTP project gets over

By: Patrix

Patrix — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 23:32:20 +0000

I agree that planning Navi Mumbai was well intentioned but somewhere down the line, things have gotten fuzzy. I lived in Navi Mumbai for the most part of my life and have literally seen it develop in front of my eyes. I was home recently on vacation and was somewhat disappointed to see blatant disregard to environmental standards (building over mangroves, reclaiming the creek, etc.). It distresses me because I am big on sustainability and are repeating the mistakes of the developed nations.

If you are interested, I have written about the evolution of Palm Beach Marg (http://urbanplanningblog.com/2006/01/24/evolution-of-palm-beach-marg/)i.e. the ‘Marine Drive of Navi Mumbai’ that Rashmi is talking about.

By: Narain

Narain — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 15:48:43 +0000

Sitting in Chennai and reading this, you guys make us jealous Well i think your points are valid. We need well planned cities to move into. Going by the government’s statistics, by 2050, nearly 40% of the Indian population [approx 60 Crores] will live in the cities.

My problem is the speed at which these things happen in India. Last time when i was in mumbai, couple of weeks ago, it’s hell. The business may be swift, the roads, traffic is pathetic in the commercial capital of this country.

Let’s hope the government builds more satellite cities across India, there are people living this side of Vindyas yaar :)))))

By: Rashmi Bansal

Rashmi Bansal — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 14:29:49 +0000

hi Basab,
Happy to stumble across your blog and find your very first entry abt New Bombay - where I happen to live.

What you have observed is correct - we are a better planned city in many respects. A cursory look at New Bombay’s railway stations (clean, well maintained, no food stalls on platforms, office complex in the space above) shows that some vision went into the master plan of this satellite city.

However, as New Bombay falls in district Thane residents do face many quality of life issues. For example, unlike Mumbai we face 2 hours of load shedding every morning (this is since the last 6 months).

We pay an ‘entry tax’ or toll to drive in to Mumbai every day. Because technically we reside outside Mumbai city limits. Which would be OK if the road bridge were maintained in top condition. It is not.

The railway connectivity of Harbour line to town is very sad - a train every 15 minutes. The link between Vashi and Thane is operational but trains run on that route only 3 times a day.

So somewhere this satellite city is getting second class citizen status. And that can’t be a good thing!

Also, the development coming up on Palm Beach Road - the so called ‘Marine Drive’ of New Bombay is completely unplanned and haphazard. Massive apartment complexes have come up without proper roads being built. No concept of sectors or public spaces like gardens. It’s greedy builders all the way.

Great to learn abt ur new venture. Say hi to Guns fr me.

By: Razib Ahmed

Razib Ahmed — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 08:52:05 +0000

The problem of Mumbai is not unique in South Asia. Almost all the big South Asian metropolitan cities have more or less the same problem like Mumbai. For some cities, the condition is even worse than Mumbai.
(I tried to put the address of my website about South Asian Business under Know More Media network, bug each time it gave invalid error.)

By: Chaitanya

Chaitanya — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:40:00 +0000

As much as Mumbai has problems, those very problems make it a land of opportunity. Traffic (or commuting) is a big problem. People with disposable incomes commute by hanging to rusty trains. People can pay. They want a solution. Those who can find it will create value and make money. Ditto with affordable housing. And so with other problems.

Renew Mumbai? Is it practical? Satellite city option is like setting up a special court to deal with a problem. It shows lack of confidence in the system. Only time will tell if it helps solve the problem sooner. Navi Mumbai could, at best, postpone Mumbai’s problems. It faces the ‘old-truck’ problem that a friend told me about. Current owners do not recycle their trucks. They sell it. So old-trucks continue to ply. Problems move - either physically or in time.

Chaitanya Sagar

By: Daz

Daz — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 01:23:35 +0000

What you say is very relevant and pertinent. Any ideas on what can be done from a citizens perspective?

Also, Is there any particular reason as to why you blogs are primarily India focussed as against China focussed? I would think China is also a key factor in the ‘flat world’ concept..