Life in India's metro cities can often feel like a living nightmare. Today, citizens of two of the country's most prominent urban centres-Mumbai and Gurgaon-are grappling with the fallout of governance failures, civic apathy, and chaotic disruptions.
Mumbai, the so-called Maximum City, first battered by relentless monsoon rains and flooding, is now being held hostage by the Maratha reservation protests. Protesters have taken over public spaces with impunity, choking the city's arteries.
Meanwhile, Gurgaon-India's much-touted Millennium City-is fast becoming a cautionary tale of unchecked urbanisation and unplanned growth.
Urban Collapse
Just four hours of rain on Monday brought Gurgaon to a standstill. Major roads were flooded, highways clogged, and routine office commutes turned into multi-hour ordeals. Some residents were stuck in gridlocks for hours; others waded through waist-deep water.
Is this the life that citizens, who pay taxes and significantly contribute to the national economy, deserve? Year after year, metro dwellers suffer this urban mismanagement, and yet no one is held accountable.
A City Held Hostage
On Monday, September 1, the Bombay High Court severely criticised Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange for causing widespread disruption in Mumbai. The court remarked that the protest was effectively holding the city ransom and ordered that roads be cleared by 4 PM on Tuesday, September 2.
Despite this, the protests disrupted traffic, public transport, and local businesses. Thousands of protesters flooded the city, with many gathering at Azad Maidan, a designated protest zone. However, the court was irked that demonstrators spilled over into surrounding areas, including near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, performing sit-ins that brought traffic to a standstill.
Businesses in the affected areas were forced to shut down, some for days. Even cargo movement was hit. The All-India Motor Transport Congress warned that prolonged blockades could lead to financial losses and tarnish India's global image.
On social media, outrage poured in. Residents from both cities shared their frustration and helplessness through angry posts, memes, and videos documenting the chaos.
Systemic Failure
Forget tier-two and tier-three towns-even our economic hubs lack resilient infrastructure, efficient administration, and civic responsibility. These cities are fast becoming unlivable.
Disillusioned by these conditions, many Indians are opting to migrate abroad in search of a better quality of life.
We often bemoan the 'brain drain', but we fail to address the root cause: the accelerating urban decay in our metros.
Only Politics, No Governance
Better quality of life means cleaner environments, reliable public services, and robust infrastructure. Yet, pollution, traffic congestion, and civic neglect plague our major cities, pushing even the most patriotic citizens to leave.
Metros like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad are drowning in their own waste-generating massive volumes of garbage, sewage, and pollution. The air is unbreathable, thanks to rampant deforestation, unchecked vehicle emissions, diesel generators, and continuous construction. And yet, stakeholders-from the Centre and state governments to municipal bodies and civil society-seem utterly detached from their responsibilities.
The state plays politics while citizens suffer. In Mumbai, official permission was granted for a protest of 5,000 people for a single day at Azad Maidan. Instead, over 30,000 protesters, along with hundreds of vehicles, took over the city. Roads were blocked, public transport crippled, and daily life brought to a halt.
Despite the High Court's reprimand, Jarange defiantly announced that protesters would not leave until their demands were met. The police, meanwhile, remained mute spectators.
Collapse of Basic Governance
Whether it's Mumbai or Gurgaon, the response from governments-state or municipal-has been woefully inadequate. From clearing storm drains to removing unauthorised construction or enforcing law and order during protests, authorities have failed at the most basic level.
The Maratha quota issue is politically sensitive in Maharashtra. The state government fears a backlash if it acts tough. Appeasing dominant caste groups takes precedence over ensuring the rights of ordinary citizens-many of whom are labelled as 'outsiders' in the city.
We take pride in the cosmopolitan character of our metros, yet their residents are often at the mercy of indifferent governments and crumbling infrastructure. Despite paying the highest taxes, metro citizens receive little in return. Infrastructure budgets are routinely slashed or diverted to serve political compulsions rather than civic needs.
Municipal bodies remain ineffective-crippled by lack of funds, inefficient bureaucracy, and rampant corruption. Meanwhile, citizens are left to toil, pay taxes, and expect nothing in return.
India's metro cities are choking-not just on pollution and congestion, but on neglect, mismanagement, and misplaced priorities. If things don't change, the very cities that fuel India's growth story could become the reason for its urban collapse.
(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
