DEVELOPMENT RELATED ISSUES IN MUMBAI
The purpose of this study is to understand the issues related to development in the city of Mumbai and to unearth the paradoxically different repercussions & meaning such development may have for different people - all part of the same society. This project focuses on the effects of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) and construction of Line 1 (Mumbai Metro) i.e. Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) corridor on the urban poor displaced thereby. This paper also briefly assesses the need for the above projects to nullify some of the many hardships faced by the common man due to poor planning and infrastructure in the domain of local transportation.
MUMBAI & THE GROWING NEED FOR RAPID TRANSIT RAIL SYSTEMS
Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is also the financial capital of India and thus, one of the most popular urban regions in the world. The people of Mumbai are known for their arduous yet cosmopolitan lifestyles. The maximum city houses Asia’s most prolific film and television industry, Bollywood and has seen it blossom through the decades. Countless people have made it big here – be it through business or film. Entrepreneurs flock here, budding talents join the rat race to fame while the working class laboriously toils in their race against time to make ends meet.
The city has a large migrant population, majorly from within the state and a third from other states. Reasons for migration include marriage, the trend of rural-urban migrations, search for jobs, education and for many, a desire to live and make a name for themselves the City Of Dreams or Mayapuri. What is worth noting is that most of Mumbai’s development has been driven by its population growth, mostly due to migration. The city is currently the fourth most populous city in the world with a population of 20.5 million. However, a