Reflections

With the Urban Land Ceiling Act acting as dampener on construction activity in the
city, buildings are mushrooming outside the city limits. Even New Bombay at last
looks like it's taking off. And one sees more and more advertisements for farmhouses
a few hours away from the city – a pointer of the shape of things to come. But the Act
is no dampener on the growth of hutments and 'unauthorised' construction. About half
the population of the city today lives and works in them. At first, both the thought and
sight of them is depressing, but if one sees how people have improved many of these
settlements against all odds, it is not quite so depressing.
There are more buses on the roads, but the BEST keeps doing a wonderful job of
carrying hordes of commuters every day. There are more suburban trains too, though
the stations remain as derelict as ever. The Maharaja of Scindia has granted Rs. 60
lakhs to face-lift four major stations on the western corridor. It will not pay for marble,
as used at the Gwalior station, but for Bombayites, a fresh coat of paint will do.
The Western Expressway is still being debated, but the city roads have absorbed the
thousands of Marutis without many traffic hiccups. Just goes to show that better traffic
management can also create additional carrying capacity. And the Marutis have added
a little more colour and zip to Bombay's roads.
And Bombay is greener than ever before. Pherozshah Mehta Road is full of shady
trees, so are many of the roads in the suburbs. Trees along Marine Drive and Haji Ali
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