Yesterday I started from office little late so I missed my company bus. I had a friend along with me who was also going to the same place where I was heading to, so we decided to share the auto. When we came out of office we saw the road was completely choked up with traffic. The reason for this permanent traffic jam is that the government has decided to expand the roads and for this to happen they need to dig up the roads. Now to do this they have dug up the roads on both the sides leaving very little space for the traffic to move. The dust from all the digging up and the smoke from all the standing vehicles made it difficult to even breathe. Irritated with it all I looked around to see if anything is moving and I saw the sign board - "MUIP - Please bear with us for a Better Tomorrow" !!!
We realized that its no use taking an auto because the rate at which the traffic was moving, the auto-meter would move faster than the auto itself. So, we decided to walk down till wherever the traffic becomes bearable! Well, in Mumbai it's easier said than done. There wasn't any space left to walk. Traffic was occupying all the space on the road. The only place left for walking was the dug up area, which was filled with wet cement. We tried to walk on the huge moulds of mud. My feet got all dirty. With every step I feared losing my balance. I looked up in frustration and the signboard - "MUIP - Please bear with us for a Better Tomorrow" stared blank at my face!!!
My friend suggested that it would be a better idea to cross over and walk against the traffic. At least we'll get some space to walk. We crossed the road and started walking. Even that side of road was dug up. The BEST bus stop was over turned and people didn't know where to stand and wait for bus. The boards, which displays the bus numbers, were standing in a far corner of the road where no one with proper eyes could read it and if one even tried to reach the board to read it wouldn't return in one piece. The amazing part is while they have taken the liberty to dig up everything, they have left the illegal shops and slum areas on the encroached land so carefully as if they are the prized position of the Government of Maharashtra. My friend and I kept walking for nearly half an hour without even realizing. Every time I looked to the other side of road, the traffic was at standstill. While walking we crossed an area, which was completed. It gave an impression of what this road would look like once the construction is complete. In one corner there was a huge pile of remains of the construction material and stones, and in the center was the sign board - "MUIP - Please bear with us for a Better Tomorrow" !!!
After half an hour of walking we came to Saki Naka signal. The traffic scene had not changed on the other side, which we were supposed to take. Relieved that we didn't take the auto, we looked ahead to see how the traffic was on the road ahead. We saw some relief there and decided to take the auto and head towards home. On the way to home I couldn't help but think that while walking the stretch it would have required just a slip to land oneself in hospital. The most amazing thing is if they want to dig up something, it is done almost over night but when the time comes to make it, it takes ages for them to complete it. Wherever the construction is taking place, there are no proper lighting systems. One of my colleague in office once took a snap of a overturned jeep in the crater which as usual was easy for them to dig than to fill up.The image you see at the top is the one I am talking about. It even got published in Mid-Day here in Mumbai. By the time they'll finish filling up all the places that they have dug up, it would be time to build 6-lane road instead of 4-lane road, which at present they are trying to build. At such time the message on the sign board sounds ironic...at least I don't know which "Tomorrow" they are talking about because as we all know - "Tomorrow never comes" !
2 comments:
Well I would say that at least you can see the boards of "Bear for a Better Tomorrow".
After staying in Bombay for nearly 3 years, i hated each n every moment there, coz of such things which you wrote. But after coming down in Bangalore, i found that things arent much different at other places too. This being the IT hub of country and also state capital, you expect atleast some good infrastructure. But you have to be here to experience the truth. Roads of my village of poplulation less than thousand are better at places...
I feel at times that I have been pampered in Udaipur with good roads and infrastructure. Where every five years the roads are re-coated and its like travelling on highway on them.
When it says Better Tomorrow, it means tomorrow when the coming generation wont know the taste of better roads and they wont complaint like you and me ;-)
Ashish
Kritika, one of my problem with Bombay is what you have mentioned in your article and I can't agree with you more on how pathetic the attempts of the government are to make any improvements. Actually the only thing I have been blogging in the past few dasy is related to this only This post talks about the same thing.
The Marathi for the inconvenience regretted boards is Gairsoi Babat Dilagir aahot-a board I have been watching right infront of my home ever since I moved here and that gave me the opportunity to take pics of this auto, this Jeep, and this car. Don't lose hope, Mr. Deshmukh will transform our city to Shanghai soon.
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