- The Union Government, led by the indefatigable and tirelessly energetic Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is forceful in exhorting the countrymen to believe that we as a nation are progressing at a breakneck speed. Undeniably, the Indian economy is counted as one of the fastest growing, having overtaken Japan in recent times to be monikered as the fourth largest in the world. Only the US, China, and Germany are in front of us. The PM is convinced that India will be anointed as a developed nation by 2047. An aspirational society will reach its true potential provided several critical components of the economy deliver on expected lines. One of the key parameters is to ensure the urban infrastructure is up to the requisite mark to push ahead with the progress.
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- Mind you, India is still largely an agrarian society, and hence, weaning away the demographic dividends that we are blessed with into urban dwellings will demand a determined push from all stakeholders. Thus, giving a fillip to urban infrastructure assumes paramount importance with all modern amenities provisioned in line with the changing times. Unfortunately, every Indian city is watched with great alarm as even a newly constructed underground station gets flooded when it rains. Take the instance of Mumbai’s Acharya Atre Chowk metro station getting flooded recently, which was inaugurated barely 15 days earlier. This station and the entirety of its Aqua Line metro corridor are underground. In Delhi, underground stations provide shelter from intense rain.
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- However, at this Worli station, the rain gushed in forcefully, people fled the platforms, and the metro staff followed suit. MMRC says it’s because a water-retaining wall collapsed. That’s a poor excuse for a Rs. 37,000 crore shiny new project. What was lacking here? As Indian cities grapple with the pain of urban flooding, this is a reminder that throwing money at it will not suffice. What good does it do to citizens to be told that India is becoming the 4th largest economy in the world, when their lived realities don’t feel like it is even ranked 40th? What help are pricey infrastructure works when these are badly engineered? In many ways, things seem to be getting worse. It feels like a grandma’s tale that cities used to greet the rain with hurrahs.
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- Disconcertingly, Gurgaon to Chennai, everyone dreads roads washing away, garbage wading in. Because well into the 21st century, our stormwater drains are still used as dustbins. Building Mumbai’s underground metro has involved resetting the earlier drainage system. What we need to know is whether this has been done properly. This is where MMRC must be required to provide detailed data. Especially, several tony localities now experience waterlogging like they never have in big metro cities. Worli includes some of the world’s priciest real estate. So does Whitefield boast the poshest villas in Bengaluru. Strangely, nothing changes even after they get flooded. Quality, accountability, and deterrence should guide the administration while building infrastructure.
