Investors giving Mumbai the miss, says India Inc

MUMBAI: India’s slum capital. Traffic jams. Poor quality water. Road rage. Mumbai has never had it so bad. The urbs prima in Indis is, perhaps, facing its worst identity crisis. Even Microsoft chairman Bill Gates skipped it.

Sources told DNA Gates’s aides told him to stay away from the country’s financial capital because the lacunae in infrastructure would have made him see red. He was not the only one. Many recent visitors to India have bypassed Mumbai.

Sensing this alarming trend and seeing the slow progress on every promised developmental agenda since July 26, citizens’ groups are up in arms against the Democratic Front government. Their plea: put everything aside and get down to the business of salvaging the city.

The BMC is engaged in the first of its five planned phases of improving and beautifying city roads. But it’s not enough. Traffic snarls and potholes have tarnished the city’s image. “I have heard the Bill Gates story. But it has happened with many CEOs in the past,” said Narinder Nayar, chairman, Bombay First.

In a meeting of the Citizens Action Group last week, Nayar, MD of Comcast India, asked the state government to ensure that the empowered committee under Chief Secretary RM Premkumar coordinates the functioning of all agencies working to improve the city’s roads.

“The committee will soon bring the heads of the MMRDA, BMC, PWD, and MSRDC together and list the 10 worst roads. The state will then bring out a government resolution stating how fast these roads should be redone. The time frame as well as quality of work will be important,” he said.

The digging up of roads across the city, particularly the one leading to Sahar international airport, has caused the corporate world to press the panic button. “The concreting of this crucial road is going at a very slow pace. The traffic department could have at least made it one-way,” Nayar said.

He also pointed to the slums under the Andheri flyover. “This cannot be the first sight for a foreign dignitary landing in Mumbai,” he said.

But Sanjay Ubale, secretary (special projects), said the city will have to live with the discomfort for a while. “The condition of Mumbai roads is a concern. The projects have to be undertaken in phases. But I agree that there should be effective traffic management to reduce the chaos.”

Noted conservationist Anita Garware said proper infrastructure should be set up first. “Let us not announce projects without getting our act together,” she said.

CEOs’ lament

I meet many foreign investors daily who are interested in Mumbai. But they don’t understand why we can’t fix our roads. I had told the government just to restore the road leading to Sahar airport two years ago. That road is a disgrace but still there. I have given up on Mumbai and the endless meetings with officials which are never conclusive. Mumbai must re-plan completely but no one seems to be interested. No wonder CEOs of big companies are giving Mumbai the miss. I have moved out to redesign cities like Madgaon, Lucknow, Dehradun and Sringar  where the local governments are partnering with us to change. For me, Mumbai is dying.

Nasser Munjee, former MD & CEO of IDFC and infrastructure expert

The decline of Mumbai started happening in the mid-80s. Historically, all declines of big cities are gradual and painful. Mumbai is now gone out of control. Nobody knows who is in-charge. We cannot argue for a separate state as it becomes too political, neither can we regroup to ensure that we act fast. Mumbai is such a vibrant city. This indecisive attitude is killing the spirit of Mumbai. It’s unfortunate that the city, which contributes over 40 per cent to the central tax kitty has to suffer this way.

R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons Ltd

We are at a critical mode of development. We know the problems, we know what to do and we have the support of the Centre. All we need is to expedite the work. The numero uno status for Mumbai does not exist as well-planned cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh are interesting the investors. Upgrading airport is a must as it is the nerve centre for good business.  

Atul Nishar, chairman, Hexawear Corporation

I agree that roads of Mumbai are awful and we need to collectively protest on the same. But on a larger scale, infrastructure projects are being planned in Mumbai for a better future. There is a general feeling that public-private partnership will only take off the city’s development. The atmosphere of change is coming, though a bit slowly. We will see changes in the coming 3-4 months. I believe that we should not depend on state government for everything. Our real focus must be on citizens power.   

Shailesh Haribhakti, director, Haribhakti Financial Services Private Limited