United effort can fuel Mumbai makeover

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">MUMBAI: It’s still not too late to put Mumbai back on her feet. The fact that all the stake holders— the government, corporations, NGOs, the media and, above all, citizens— are finally converging in a movement to reshape Mumbai into a world-class metro gives us some hope.<br /><br />For this movement to succeed, however, all political parties must sink their differences to create a Common Minimum Programme that will ensure quality of life for all.Corporations should involve themselves wholeheartedly in helping Mumbai secure its place in the evolving global village.<br /><br />NGOs must subordinate their egos and combine their precious resources to help achieve this goal. The media has a positive role to play in proactively influencing public opinion and supporting any move that benefits Mumbai. Lastly, no such movement can be complete without citizen participation. Every Mumbaikar must find a place in this collective responsibility.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Develop Hinterland</span><br /><br />Key projects must be planned with longterm vision, but achieved within targeted dates. During the early 1800s, Brooklyn had half the number of residents of Manhattan, and the Brooklyn Bridge was seen as a solution to reducing overcrowding in Manhattan while spurring development in Brooklyn. A cost-effective mass transport system was developed, enabling people to cross the East River quickly. The bridge was opened to the public in 1883, and has required little improvement ever since. It was a 200-year-long vision that transformed New York.<br /><br />Similarly, Mumbai’s Trans-Harbour Sea Link must be implemented on a war footing and development of the hinterland should be initiated simultaneously. The concept of a Navi Mumbai was entirely defeated because of the lack of such a comprehensive approach. Though it was founded 30 years ago, it has attracted hardly more than a million people and has failed to decongest Mumbai as originally intended.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">An Accountable Mayor</span><br /><br />Despite being India’s richest civic body, the BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC) often appears to be a failure.<br /><br />The reason for this lies in the dichotomy in authority and accountability. We elect six MPs, 34 MLAs and 225 municipal councillors, but the lack of one centralised authority fritters away responsibility, leaving little by way of accountability. Unfortunately, Mumbaikars don’t elect one leader accountable for the city as a whole. Our mayor, being a titular head, can have no more than a 1:225 vision at best, thus having no significant role to play in Mumbai’s future.<br /><br />New York City—which remarkably reflects Mumbai’s character in most respects—elects its mayor directly, empowers him and holds him singly answerable for the fate of the city.Why not emulate this highly successful concept to our benefit so that we have the right man for the right job, one who is also wholly accountable? The New York mayor controls both the administrative and law-enforcement wings, so he can implement his decisions smoothly. A similar integration between the BMC and Mumbai’s police force could equip the administration to successfully deal with problems like unauthorised construction.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Strike Out Corruption</span><br /><br />A lot more needs to be done to plug the BMC’s shortcomings. While there is some degree of ineptitude in the overall functioning of the BMC, it is the Standing Committee which is to be principally blamed. Rs 6,000 crore—the annual budget of the BMC—passes through this committee. If this vital body is riddled with corruption, there can be little hope for Mumbai.<br /><br />Is it not important that, with so much at stake, we have a watchdog presiding over the Standing Committee?Mumbai is a city of credible financial professionals capable of overseeing voluminous corporate outlays. And, can’t we also involve committed town planners? Given the opportunity, they can both play an extraordinarily useful role in ensuring a corruption-free and professionally run BMC.<br /><br />With large tracts of land in the heart of the city becoming available because of the closure of mills, a professionalised approach, backed by political will, becomes more relevant towards holistically changing the complexion of Mumbai.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Constant Dialogue</span><br /><br />Considering that Mumbai is India’s highest revenue-earner, the chronic fund shortage handicapping the BMC and state government frommanaging essential public utilities could be met through active private sector partnerships. The business community could contribute significantly by adopting hospitals, educational institutions and open spaces. This can be realised through appropriate incentive-based initiatives offered by the government.<br /><br />We are witnessing healthy citizen activism in Mumbai. This is a welcome sign and needs to be actively encouraged.All that is required is to ensure effective coordination amongst resident associations and the administration.Advanced Locality Management groups alone are no longer the solution.<br /><br />Theremust be adequate representation from the police, fire department and BMC in all resident associations. A constant dialogue is indispensable for understanding the pressing needs of an area, and meeting them with commitment and speed.<br /><br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">(The writer is one of the youngest MPs in the country and represents the South Mumbai constituency)</span></div> </div>