BMC chief Praveen Pardeshi has urged citizens to provide their feedback regarding Mumbai on a set of 24 questions that form the central government’s `Ease of Living’ survey, in which cities are ranked through votes.
His appeal was necessitated by dismal voting in the survey by Mumbaikars, compared to other cities. While presenting the BMC budget, the municipal commissioner had also introduced the term `Citizens Happiness Index’, saying it could be achieved through efficient delivery of services.
The Free Press Journal asked its readers - What is the one big change you would like to see in Mumbai to boost `Ease of Living’ and the `Citizens Happiness Index’? Here’s a look at what a cross-section of Mumbaikars had to say:
Space crunch is the most important issue faced by residents of Mumbai. Be it for residential purposes or shops, the BMC should allow owners to use the nearby space outside homes or shops if it is vacant. There has to be a limit on the usage, but the civic authorities should allow us to use this extra space.
—Jayantrao Ramnareddy (retail shop owner)
Many residents have extended their FSI and encroached upon open spaces. These extended areas pose a threat and create congestion. The BMC should allow residents such extensions only with due permission and for valid reasons.
—Bilal Ansari (courier service provider)
Mumbaikars should minimise the use of automobiles and promote bicycles for a healthier and safer tomorrow. The civic body can look forward by making dedicated bike lanes with proper connectivity within the city. The use of bicycles would help us in getting fitter, and is environment friendly at the same tine. It would also be an indirect solution to safety for our generation, as the number of lives lost in motor accidents is rising day by day. This move will also promote use of public transport, which would help our government too.
—Ashish Yadav (data specialist)
Infrastructure needs to be improved. Better roads - or if I may say, roads sans pot holes – are needed. Better sidewalks are also needed. Half of the time, the existing sidewalks are either occupied by hawkers or used as bike parking zones. I also feel BMC needs to do more in terms of providing health benefits for Mumbaikars. Apart from improving the state of the civic run hospitals, having civic run health clinics would be a lot of help for those who cannot afford private hospitals or expensive general physicians. Lastly, please don’t dig up my city every other day. I feel almost all major parts of the city are either dug up for metro work or some other BMC related work.
—Yatin S Mastakar (businessman)
The biggest hurdle in Mumbai is to reach anywhere on time, and the entire reason is traffic. If being able to travel at decent speed and reach one’s destination on time can be made a reality, it would make life less stressful. BMC needs to improve the city’s roads, which should be pothole-free. There should be a separate track for different vehicles. Similarly there should be a dedicated track for ambulances or any emergency vehicles. Moreover, they should mark some area for parking so that people do not park their vehicles haphazardly and cause major traffic jams.
—Levin Ferrao (chemical company CEO)
The BMC really needs to work on the pothole problem. This single issue is the root cause of many severe problems -- from traffic congestion, to lives lost in accidents. If Mumbai really wants to improve its position the ease of living index, then the authorities need to start from this; rectifying this issue first and foremost.
—Mushtaq Ansari (automobile dealer)
Basic necessity of uninterrupted, adequate and good quality water supply is something every Mumbaikar keeps waiting for. Water amenities should be given the highest priority to actually ease the living of every citizen.
—Ankit Aggarwal (IT professional)
It will be a welcome change if the city is made more secure so that women feel safe and can move freely; be it in any shift of day or night. Now, since the concept of Mumbai 24X7 has been started, if they feel safe, women can shop at any available time, including night hours. Also, now, women will be able enjoy night life as well.
—Geeta Sharma (advocate)
Good roads and connectivity are the need of hour, which the authorities should address on priority. Traffic control and passage for emergency services should be made easy, in order to have a good Citizen Happiness Index.
—Riya Talpade (preschool teacher)
Nowadays creating a nuisance is considered normal. Be it unnecessarily honking, loud bikes with or without silencers, rickshaws blaring, fights in the train, senior citizens and outstation travellers being injured or conned by rickshaw or taxi drivers, spitting, littering etc. There is no stringent action against any of this. Also, getting basic civic amenities is the need of the hour. The city seems locked today, with overcrowded trains and hours and hours in traffic jams. Only if this nonchalant attitude could change, it would be ease of living in the true sense.
—Limya D'Mello (teacher)
It is necessary that the BMC regulate hawkers, as encroachment by them is a huge issue. While hawkers occupy space on footpaths, vehicles are parked on the side of the roads, leaving no space for pedestrians. Provisions should be made for designated space for hawkers as well as create adequate space for parking. There should also be measures to reduce pollution as it affects the quality of life.
—Surinder Arora (businessman)
Proper roads is the one big change I would like to see in Mumbai to improve the daily commute. On an average, people spend about two to three hours commuting each day. With proper roads and better means of transportation, this time can decrease and people can utilize this time in other activities.
—Pouras Ghag (software engineer)
