Mumbai was ranked in the third among cities with over four million population based on four broad parameters — physical, social, economic and institutional.
That the Central government has ranked Mumbai as the third most livable city in the country on its 'Ease of Living Index' has shocked experts in the city. The reason? "If we are the gold standard, then just how bad are others?" Pankaj Joshi, executive director of UDRI, a planning body, commented.
Mumbai was ranked in the third among cities with over four million population based on four broad parameters — physical, social, economic and institutional. The city has a population of over four million.
"We have been ranked first in infrastructure, and in the social parameters, we stood at the sixth place. Infrastructure was considered based on roads and such while social parameters depended on health and other security," said Vijay Singhal, additional municipal commissioner.
"I am surprised by this. Our indicators are not even up to the national standards. What this survey means is that other cities are much worse than us. If Mumbai is the gold standard for the cities, we need to be shocked. We will have to look at the methodology. In terms of mobility and traveling, open space, everything is an issue. Our open space is less than one sq mt per capita," Joshi said.
"Even Pune figuring at the top is surprising considering the city does not even have a proper public transport system. Mumbai can at least boast of public transport. Navi Mumbai scoring well I can understand because it is still a better-planned city. This will require a review of how they have evaluated. We should first look to meeting our URDPFI or national standards," said Joshi.
"There is always scope for upgrading and to go vertical. Even after 10 years, we will have have issues that we can improve upon," Singhal said. Some, however, felt that rankings did not give a good picture and that city needs to plan itself better. Dr Neville Mehta, CEO of Mumbai First said, "I have no doubt that government keeps trying to do their job but they need to plan and do things more systematically. This listing is a farce. They need to involve citizens to understand the day-to-day issues before enforcing anything. The waste solution and plastic ban are nowhere."
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