Mumbai: Every five years we go through the ritual of electing our representatives, who, we hope, will bring a perceptible change in our lives. But more often than not these hopes are belied and the refrain has always been: “Vote for the lesser evil”.
FPJ talked with a cross-section on the eve of voting in the last lap to assess what informed choices they are making. There are no dearth of issues in the city — dense traffic, potholes, unavailable parking slots, rash driving, no proper drainage system, lack of open space and much more.
When asked, Dylan D’Souza, an aspiring filmmaker said, “There is no organised traffic system, daily there are mis-haps due to potholes; likewise, crowded trains are a major issue.” Due to frequent disruption of train services, their late arrival and traffic congestion, it is very difficult for the working class to reach office on time. From infrastructure to hawkers on the foot path, Mumbaikars are staring at a very grim reality.
“The government is just going ahead with projects without thinking about the effect they are having and not dealing with the underlying issues such as proper drainage, strong bridges and deforestation; all these are very important for the city to survive”, says Vaishali Pathak, a resident of Virar.
Another issue that keeps nagging them are petrol and real estate prices. Outsiders, who visit Mumbai from other states, face issues of high rent, lack of accommodation and daily commute. This is a replay every five years. The problems keep staring us in the face and the solutions are as elusive as ever.
There is some semblance of activity before elections – flagship schemes are announced, foundation stones are laid. But basic issues like the condition of roads remains the same – the only development is that banners come up highlighting the achievements of the political parties and their grand accomplishments.
“Five years ago, it was promised that Mumbai will be a 24 hours functional city, but even this promise remains unfulfilled,” one of the voters was cited as saying. As regards whom they will vote, for the stock reply was: All parties are peas in the same pod.
