I GET THE distinct feeling that one of the two things have happened:
first, vehicles plying in Mumbai city have wheels which erode the roads and
second, road construction companies have started using infinitely substandard construction material.

 

Either way, it’s the road traveller who suffers, giving a new dimension to the Hindi word for journey - safar. For those who speak the new variant mix of Hindi-English called Hinglish, “I’m going on a safar” can very well mean that they will be making a road trip in Mumbai city.

 

With the improvement in technology and with manufacturers getting more innovative, one would have thought that something as basic as building roads for a coastal, tropical city would not be as difficult as rocket science. But our guys have made it out to be just as difficult. Well, actually, maybe not. Maybe, they just like the roads to be reconstructed every other year or how else will they stay in business or rather how will they ensure that everyone else stays in business.

 

It is a win-win situation for all as it guarantees a constant employment for road construction workers, a stable demand for material and something easy for the Municipal Corporators to keep themselves busy with. Their work now concentrates on having interminable committee meetings, reading reports and preparing tender specifications and vendor short-listing.

 

Here, in Mumbai, we often hear these politicians tout phrases about how they want Mumbai to be like Shanghai. I am sure that this is one plan that will never materialise and the less said about their touting, the better.

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