Celebrities talk about the one thing they want to change in Mumbai

Team After Hrs

Home to over 20 million, Mumbai, has often been romanticised in books and movies as the city of dreams. But just like most metropolitan cities, it has its fair share of issues. From pothole-fraught roads to a lack of open spaces, poor public transport and too few cultural institutions, Mumbaikars express what changes they wish to see in the city.

Make the roads world-class
Arjun Kapoor, actor
I feel that we should change the entire infrastructure of the suburbs and make the roads world-class, for sure. Mumbai is an international city and we should all contribute towards making it more beautiful.

Better roads and beaches
John Abraham, actor
Mumbai is an international city. I wish the roads and beaches were better. We need to improve infrastructure. The beaches will be beautiful once they’re cleaner and the roads more smooth and well-maintained.

Mumbai should be more organised
Sonakshi Sinha, actor
A city like Mumbai lacks infrastructure and development. We need to have better roads, metro lines, green spaces, more recreational centers — be it amphitheatres or parks for general public, libraries or museums. The beaches need to be cleaned up and maintained. The slum areas, too, need to be cleaned up and people should have proper, hygienic houses to live in. We only have concrete structures coming up everywhere, but the city and its people need much more. The city is congested and the roads are jam-packed. Getting to work every morning is a struggle for most people because public transport is not developed. I’d like to see Mumbai be more organised some day.

Teach people some civic sense
Dino Morea, actor
I would teach people some civic sense. From traffic rules to garbage disposal. If people would take a little more care, it would make a big difference.
Want pothole-free roads

Swwapnil Joshi, actor
The roads, which are the lifeline of the city, are in a bad condition. We pay so much by way of taxes — car tax, income tax, etc — but are deprived of the basic infrastructure. We use roads everyday and it is disheartening to see millions of litres of petrol and diesel wasted every day. People get frustrated being stuck in traffic. It’s not about the number of vehicles because wherever the roads are good, traffic is smooth. But it’s the quality of roads, the potholes that are worrisome. Otherwise, as a Mumbaikar, I am so proud of this city, but when compared to Bengaluru or Delhi, which have fantastic roads, we fall awfully short. I am not asking for more freeways or skywalks, just a road free of potholes!

Want a Chief Minister from Mumbai
Sumeet Raghavan, actor
I want to change everybody who doesn’t love Mumbai. I want a Chief Minister who is from Mumbai. Just look at the condition of the roads. Every year, it’s the same story. Unfortunately, nobody loves Mumbai. As a Mumbaikar, my heart bleeds for the city. BMC sanctions `38,000 crore, but where is it going? The city has such a beautiful coastline, but we don’t have proper waterfronts. Which other city in the world can boast of seas, lakes, mountains and jungles? We are just lynching the city. Metro came to Mumbai in 2009. A 4.8 km sea link took nine years to build whereas in Japan, it took 18 months. Everybody says Mumbai meri jaan, but it’s bulls**t.

Implement orderly driving
Subi Samuel, photographer
I’d definitely want to change the traffic situation and implement orderly driving. To get to the airport now, one needs to think how much in advance to leave. One needs to plan their travel in such a way so as to avoid the peak traffic. Even peak hours are much longer now extending till 11am in the morning and from 5 to 8pm in the evenings. I prefer to have meetings close by so as to avoid wasting time in traffic.

People have no civic sense
Rukhsana Eisa, grooming expert
Can I please say two things? The traffic is horrendous which we battle everyday. I head from the suburbs to see my mom who lives in town and it takes me an hour-and-a-half. And when cops control the lights, rest assured, it’s a never-ending trip. Another thing I’d like to change is the filth and dirt. People have no civic sense and I live in an area with slums close by. BMC does its job, but people need to have a good civic sense, too.

Change the nightlife situation
Bhavna Pandey, event organiser
I would like to change the nightlife situation and make the city how it used to be. At one time, Mumbai was like the New York of India. We need to get rid of deadlines and need restaurants and cafes to be open 24/7. Another issue is safety, not just for women but senior citizens too, there are way too many crimes in the city.

Aesthetically curated art in public spaces
Brinda Miller, artist
I would love for Mumbai to have good and aesthetically curated art in public spaces — the city needs to be more culturally active. The local governing authorities need to be more lenient and need to spread more awareness among themselves to make this happen.

Needs better public transport
Amish Tripathi, author
The city needs better public transport. Currently, the trains, buses, etc are bursting at the seams and because of this, too many people use cars, which leads to undue stress, traffic and waste of time. We need better bus routes, more metros as well as water transport routes like in Sydney, Australia.

Make designated cycle paths
Arzan Khambatta, sculptor
We need to make designated cycle paths all over the city where one can ride to work or for leisure, without having to keep looking over your shoulder for unruly traffic that does not give a damn for cycles.

Need clean public loos
Rohina Anand, designer
Clean public restrooms. I’m only requesting one of the most basic necessities. The Sulabh Sauchalayas in Mumbai are anything but Sulabh — and if we have been constantly on the move, for how long do they expect us to hold on? We are more than willing to pay to maintain it.

Change Mumbai’s name to Bombay
Shekhar Suman, actor and host
The only thing I want changed is the name of the city from Mumbai to Bombay. As Mumbai, it has lost its character, its glory, its strength, its class. Mumbai sounds so vernacular. We have all grown up with the sound of Bombay, so I refuse to accept its rechristened name. It’s like calling Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Srivastava (his original name). Also, I want the old nightlife back like Manhattan and the freedom to do whatever one wants.

Need better infrastructure
Aditi Rao Hydari, actor
I love the city, it’s got an infectious energy, an amazing work ethic and is great for working girls unlike most of India, but I’d like Mumbai to have better infrastructure and for it to become a more beautiful city. I feel so bad about the fact that no one cares about the ugliness all around. We overlook all the loopholes in the mismanagement of the infrastructure, because of our so-called spirit and work ethic. These are not mutually exclusive and shouldn’t be... Mumbai has everything going for it except people who care about it, we owe it to the city that gives us so much!

Lesser vehicles and better footpaths
Sonali Kulkarni, actress
One thing which is very obvious is controlling the amount of vehicles we have in Mumbai. It’s getting ridiculous. I feel the amount of vehicles should be monitored and we should appeal to people to make use of public transport. If we decide to let go of the comfort of our personal cars and decide to share the transport — be it by using trains or sharing cabs — it will ease a lot of load on the transport on roads. The other thing that I think the government needs to be aware of is the construction of the footpaths. These days, every society has constructed these slopes right at the entrance of the building to make it easier for vehicles to get in and out of the society. But because of that there aren’t any proper footpaths left. There are either slopes or then there are vendors or other encroachments. I have tried to find a stretch road to walk on for 10-15 minutes, but I haven’t found a single one where I was not tripping or dodging something. I feel bad for our senior citizens. We can’t even give them a basic facility like proper footpaths to walk on!

Slums near the airport should go
Aman Verma, actor
Whenever I fly into Mumbai, the sight of slums right next to the airport is disturbing. Mumbai is the commercial capital and several foreign investors fly into the city and this is the first thing they see. Besides, slums pose a risk because they throw leftover food on the streets, which attract birds. I always keep my fingers crossed while landing, praying that the plane doesn’t get hit by a bird. Also, a terrorist with a gun or missile can hide there. I think it’s an accident waiting to happen. The slums near the airport should go. See any international airport, the nearby area is clean, whereas here the runaway starts where the slums end!

Lesser disparity between South Mumbai and the suburbs
Anjana Sukhani, actor
The one change I would like to see in Mumbai is lesser disparity between South Mumbai and the suburbs. The conditions of the road in suburbs is very substandard, while in town, the condition is much better. That’s probably because that’s where most political personalities live. The road conditions across Mumbai should be good.

Commuting in the city is traumatic
Arko, Composer
I’ve been here seven-and-a-half years. And for me, it’s just the roads that need to be changed. Commuting in this city is traumatic, it’s crippling. Imagine being stuck for hours in traffic. You leave on time or early and still reach your destination late. And I hate that. I hate not being punctual.

Restore Mumbai’s reputation
Fahad Samar, filmmaker/author
Mumbai has long been celebrated for its staunch secularism, but over the years, political parties of every colour have sought to tinge this secular fabric with a communal hue. It is my hope that the people of Mumbai will reject bigotry and parochialism and restore Mumbai’s reputation as Urbs prima in Indus — not only as the financial capital of India, but also as a citadel of tolerance and harmony.

Deserve clean beaches
Pooja Bedi, actor/columnist
What I want changed, can easily be changed because BMC has enough money in its coffers. I’ve been actively working towards cleaning Versova beach. But the BMC does not even maintain what we clean. Our beaches are filthy because there is apathy and inertia. And untreated sewage and faulty tenders by the BMC. We deserve clean public beaches.

CEO to be in charge of the city
Rahul Da Cunha, theatre personality
I’d like a CEO to be in charge of the city. A man not affiliated to any party. Preferably, a millionaire like Bloomberg, who doesn’t need money. Just wants to work for the betterment of the city.

Obey traffic rules
Avinash Gowariker, photographer
This may sound too petty compared to the many big ones Mumbai has... But I would just love for Mumbai to obey traffic rules. Breaking a rule is a direct assault on the country’s legal system. And people think that it’s a small rule they are breaking (over speeding, jumping a light etc), without actually realising that they are breaking laws/rules that can take a human life.

Not enough cultural instituitions
Ashiesh Shah, architect
Unlike Delhi, Mumbai doesn’t have enough cultural institutions like galleries and museums, making the city culturally inaccessible. My concern is that the next generation will not grow up knowing a lot of about our rich cultural heritage. As an architect, I’d like Mumbai to have many institutions which support culture, art and heritage.

Revive the flow of the Mithi
Jeet Gannguli, composer
One thing I’d like changed is the state of the Mithi river. Revive its flow. It’s the city’s lifeline and people throw garbage and industrial waste in it. We need to clean it up. We don’t give it much heed. I remember being at the riverside in Tampa Bay, Florida and thinking of the Mithi. The riverside there co-exists with residential spaces and factories, but it’s far cleaner and offers boating options, even. Why can’t the Mithi be something like that?

Too many commuting problems
Shruti Sancheti, designer
What troubles me the most, is the commuting problems. I totally understand the geographical distances, but it gives me lot of grief when the traffic is mismanaged and you get stuck in endless jams especially during monsoons when the traffic moves at a snail’s pace and the potholes and bad roads don’t help. I just wish some sort of order and system is introduced, where traffic management is concerned so that even if the journey is long, at least it’s stress and hassle-free.

Use waterways for better connectivity
Shubhika Davda, designer
I wanted to say that we should re-start hover crafts or ferries to connect Navi Mumbai and other parts better. Use waterways for better connectivity and reduce road traffic as they are lying unused. Also, make Marine Drive pretty again — have a nice promenade, as Mumbai lacks tourist spots. Since this is one of our most popular ones, it should be made better.

No potholes, please!
Farrokh Khambata, restaurateur
One thing that I would really want to change and which also works in favour of the city would be Mumbai roads with their potholes et al. With my penchant for cars. I’d love to see better roads where one can have a smoother ride and more disciplined traffic.

Better planned sea front roads
Rick Roy, stylist
Traffic. Without traffic, Mumbai is quite pretty. The city needs better-planned sea-front roads. It’ll enhance the view of the city and ease the commute.

Commuting takes up time
Renu Oberoi, designer
The infrastructure we need — roads pavements flyovers. I love to walk, bike or run, to exercise, but that’s something we are deprived of in our country. Commuting takes up all our time that can be used towards our work.

Improve infrastructure
Swapnil Shinde, designer
Considering Mumbai is a metropolitan city soaring with skyscrapers and high fashion brands and is considered the glamour capital of the country, I’d expect its infrastructure to be at par with its status and would like to see it being beautified. There was a phase where we saw the street walls being painted with innovative graffiti with a message. Would love to see it being done all over the city.