Bhushan Gagrani at Idea Exchange: ‘Mumbai roads not even to national standards… We will see 9-m wide roads in next 2 years’

It starts post-monsoon, immediately after the October heat is over. Experts say it is a weather-related phenomenon and localised in nature. During this time, the density of air is inversely related to the temperature. Once temperature goes down, density increases and air particles remain in the air. This is a global phenomenon. Locally, dust from private and public works and vehicular fuel worsen conditions. So how do we control these?

You cannot stop vehicles. You can check their PUCs (pollution under control certificates), try to have an efficient traffic flow system and develop public transport. As far as construction is concerned, we tried to stop activities in a few pockets, but pollution is not pocket-wise. Then there is the impact of geography in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. For instance, if there is crushing in Navi Mumbai, it will affect Mumbai. If there is something here, its impact will be felt in Vasai. We now have 32 AQI (air quality index) monitoring stations of which 28 are functioning, run by BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), IIT Bombay and MPCB (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) which give hourly updates. But again, the readings are done in a 500-metre area. Right now we are devising policies,based on those readings. We carry out local level interventions, like watering roads, clearing debris, mist fogging and stopping trenches. For construction work, there are regulations like creating green barriers. But rules aren’t followed.

Pratip Acharya: Half of Mumbai is dug up. Do you think pollution is a temporary or permanent problem?

No problem is permanent, there has to be a solution. Once most of the ongoing concretisation for public works is done, pollution will go down on its own. However, even if the public works are over in two years, private redevelopment work will continue. For the next 20 years, I do not see a slowdown of private redevelopment work. That’s the future of Mumbai.

Sandeep Singh: Violations of the rulebook are frequent, so how can BMC ensure strict adherence of norms. Can stringent penalties help?

Whenever we give out contracts, there has to be a provision of a certain penalty for certain defaults. Some of the old contracts don’t have strict penalty clauses. For example, we have imposed heavy duty per day for concretisation. Second, how do you impose a penalty and collect it? For that we have to activate our machinery, issue stop work notices. We stopped work in Borivali and Byculla area for more than three weeks. The air quality improved there. Now Byculla has three wards. Redevelopment buildings are on 200-300 sq m wards and don’t have space for proper barricading. We are seriously thinking about not allowing such development on small plots. There is no margin around buildings, no parking.

Nayonika Bose: The upgradation of Mumbai has come at a cost as its tree cover has depleted significantly. Does BMC have any afforestation plan?

Wherever we get space, we either use it for plantations or playgrounds. We don’t get many big spaces but we do get enough for gardens. A big garden will soon be opened to the public in Andheri. Another challenge is the type of trees to be planted.

Shubhangi Khapre: Without an elected body, don’t you feel that you can focus 100 per cent on administration without much interference? Is this a blessing in disguise?

Yes, you are not preoccupied with smaller issues. You are not exposed to 250 corporators 24X7. But everything has a flip side too. While on a day-to-day basis, you get a breather and are able to concentrate on your priorities, at the same time, not getting proper feedback is an issue. Whatever we are getting at our level is from the Municipal Commissioner, Additional Municipal Commissioner or the Deputy Municipal Commissioner, which is like pre-cooked food. Everything seems okay. Real feedback is missing. We are working on a democratic system of a three-tier government which has been “unused” over the last three years. While getting used to things is hard, getting “unused” is very fast. So bringing that back will take time.

On BMC elections | Two SLPs have been filed in the Supreme Court, one is on OBCs, the second is about delimitation. Until there is clarity on them, nothing can be said. It depends on the Supreme Court’s final verdict

Sandeep Singh: Isn’t that unfortunate?

I don’t see it as fortunate or unfortunate. I am only discussing my impressions on having them or not having them. I always ask my officials that even though they may not be corporators, we must be receptive to their issues. There may be nagging and cross-political matters but still, you are getting some feedback from them.

Mohamed Thaver: Why does Mumbai have to battle the same problems for years? What are the persistent issues?

One, our roads are nowhere close to international standards. And nowadays, not even to national standards. If we are to address this issue, there has to be a long-term solution. Earlier, there was a multiplicity of agencies like MSRDC (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation), MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) and PWD (Public Works Department). But now, all roads within municipal boundaries have been handed over to the BMC, be it the Eastern or Western Express highways or flyovers. So it is the administrative responsibility of the BMC to keep them in good condition. There is no option but to concretise the roads and not create trenches again. If this is done in the next three years, we will have relief. We have collected data of concretised roads in the last three years. There are no potholes or water logging. We are planning to cover 800 km in the next two years. Except Eastern and Western Express highways, we will see nine-metre wide roads.

The other issue is about utilities underneath the road. Due to redevelopment, the same plot is going to carry around 2.5 to 3 times more people. So it leads to trenching to increase the capacity of utilities and you cannot do trenching on a concrete road as the entire slab has to be changed. We are consulting IIT experts and ensuring arrangement of ducts. I am talking to all utility providers to increase their strength now as after concretisation, we are not going to give permission for trenching for the next 20 years. It is easier said than done.

Omkar Gokhale: There was a similar assurance given to the Bombay High Court but it has now been delayed. How will you tackle it?

We have already started work. I know it is not completed. We did not get good contractors in the island city but we are doing good work in the suburbs. It has now started in the island city, which has its own challenges like continuous VIP traffic movement. So getting a window from traffic police is very difficult.

Pratip Acharya: The coastal road is now fully operational. What are some of the key infrastructure projects that are going to transform the city?

Normally, when we talk about infrastructure, we only talk about visible surface infrastructure, but a lot of infrastructure is not visible. For example, we are working on seven STP plants (Sewage Treatment Plants). Work was started in 2022 and seven STP plants — of almost about 3,000 MLD (mega litres per day) — will be completed by 2028. This will improve water quality in the sea around Mumbai. Our problem is that Mumbai used to throw its entire sewage into the sea, for about eight to 10 km. And we are lucky to have got that gradient in the sea, so it is not visible. But it is still going into the sea. The volumetric cannot be compared with Delhi but roughly we are unloading a volume of the Powai lake after secondary treatment into the sea everyday. We are thinking of recycling wastewater, not necessarily for drinking, but for other uses.

Besides these, projects like the Gargai Dam and the desalination plan are also in the pipeline. We are augmenting Mumbai’s water supply network by augmenting its water supply tunnels. The population of Mumbai is growing and we have to be future-ready at a time when it is witnessing several redevelopment projects across the city and suburbs. As for connectivity, work has started on the coastal road, going all the way up to Versova, Dahisar and Bhayandar. There’s the Goregaon-Mulund New Link Road. The East-West connectivity is very poor but the Thane-Borivali stretch by MMRDA will address that. Then there is the 9-km Sanjay Gandhi National Park tunnel.

Nayonika Bose: How well is the BMC equipped financially to execute infrastructure projects? There was talk about using Fixed Deposits (FDs)?

While there is no considerable augmentation of resources on a real-time basis, what we are earning has not gone down either. It might have gone up by five to seven per cent but there is no significant addition to resources. We have not hiked taxes in the last four years. However, what has helped BMC in augmenting resources is real estate. Because of our high premiums and the redevelopment boom, we are still not feeling the pinch as far as our plans are concerned. All the infrastructure projects have been properly planned and funded for this financial year and the next.

Frankly, I don’t know why we are talking so much about FDs because the inflation rate is five-and-a-half per cent and I am getting seven-and-a-half per cent from the bank. So I am earning just two per cent. Instead, investing that money in public assets or productive assets makes more sense. The FD issue can become serious or debatable only if we are unable to pay the salaries, pension, debts (which we do not have anyway) or return the security deposits of contractors. As long as we are not defaulting, there’s nothing to worry about. We will have to take care of the liquidity issue, maybe after two financial years.

Sandeep Singh: Do you think you will have to revise some taxes, maybe after local body polls?

We may have to revise some rates because for four years, we have not revised taxes on property and water. We have to invest hugely in water projects. Water cuts are not helping us save water as they create problems in the distribution system. If you supply 10-15 per cent less water, restoring the system is a hydraulic engineering challenge. It doesn’t come back to its own, the master reservoir doesn’t get to its optimum level, enough pressure is not created in the distribution system.

Alok Deshpande: BMC has been criticised for its construction cartels, which affect the quality of roads. Can this be broken?

Cartelisation is mostly in road works, not in other projects. Over the last decade, the best contractors from all across India are working on BMC projects, be it SCC, L&T, APCO, Welspun or Shapoorji. Even when it comes to roads, monopoly exists in the small ward-level roads. For coastal road projects, being undertaken by L&T and HCC, there’s no cartelisation. There’s nothing called big and small contractors, there has to be good contractors.

Sadaf Modak: Do you think the city falls short in terms of infrastructure for pedestrians?

Mumbai is not a very walker-friendly city. South Mumbai has a lot of footpaths and good tree cover but elsewhere you find them in patches. With a dearth of land, a footpath gets the last priority. Having said that, we are trying to develop small clusters for walking. We will pedestrianise Kalaghoda, parts of Bandra and Andheri. The coastal road, when it is completed, will have walkways. The new Marine Drive (unnamed yet but we call it so for convenience) near Worli will be a 7.5 km stretch of walking, jogging and cycling.

Pratip Acharya: The BMC is also mooting a proposal to set up hoardings and billboards on the coastal road. Does it not contradict environment norms?

Not at all. The proposal to erect hoardings is towards the mainland and not in the reclaimed part of the sea. We have received Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances. Also, while giving us permission, the Supreme Court had ordered us not to carry out any developmental work in the eco-sensitive zone. Why would we jeopardise ourselves by violating the court’s orders?

Shubhangi Khapre: While BMC provides basic infrastructure, it also has to work with the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA). Do you think this complicates matters?

The slum issue in Mumbai is so big and chronic that BMC single-handedly cannot deal with it. You require a separate Act and a separate institutional mechanism. People say the slum population has remained as it is but an NGO report shows it has reduced to 29 per cent. Some say while slums have gone, vertical slums have taken their place. The argument is endless. SRA has not been a great success but it’s not a complete failure either. Now it is gaining momentum again, because of changes in rules and regulations. Post-RERA, the developer community has become more compliant. There is a strong political will to complete these projects as soon as possible. I don’t know when Mumbai will be slum-free but there will be a significant difference in five years.

On ROAD NETWORKS | Our roads are nowhere close to international standards. And nowadays, not even to national standards. We are planning to cover 800 km in the next two years. We will see 9-m wide roads

Shubhangi Khapre: The vertical growth is increasing but it puts additional burden on resources.

But they were already there. Now the saleable component is incentivising the SRA. Density of population on that particular land in any case is going up because of normal redevelopment.

Shubhangi Khapre: When do you think the BMC elections will happen?

Two Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) have been filed in the Supreme Court, one is on OBCs (Other Backward Classes), the second is about delimitation. Until there is clarity on them, nothing can be said. It depends on the Supreme Court’s final verdict.

Siddhant Konduskar: How is BMC working to revive BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport)?

BEST is a specialised transport agency, so I don’t think BMC should get into operational issues. Now, as a parent organisation, it is BMC’s moral and statutory responsibility to support BEST through its budget. We have given Rs 850 crore in the current financial year. Next year, that may go up. BMC has given an additional Rs 400 crore to purchase e-vehicles and wet lease BEST buses. More than funds, BEST will have to address its own problems.

Sandeep Singh: What is the BMC’s biggest challenge?

BMC should not become an inward-looking organisation. It should work as per global standards and try to adapt to global best practices.