With nearly every street and bylane excavated for various civil projects, from road concreting and Metro construction to utility repairs to long-forgotten infrastructure demands that have suddenly resurfaced, Mumbai currently resembles a chaotic urban maze. Newly constructed roads have frequently been dug up again to include amenities that were overlooked the first time.
Officials overseeing these works insist there is a “method in the madness,” explaining that small stretches are being tackled incrementally. However, the relentless scale of the excavation drive is exacting a heavy toll on everyday life — impacting pedestrians, motorists, emergency responders, and particularly, the city’s elderly and disabled population.
Fire engines and ambulances must make long detours, emergency response times have been greatly impacted. Sadly, there are no practical alternate routes, and even hospital access roads have been shut. Mumbai’s streets continue to be generally non-compliant with the explicit terms of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, which requires accessible infrastructure. This makes life especially challenging for the city’s more than four lakh disabled residents.
To spotlight the far-reaching consequences of this civic upheaval, mid-day reporters conducted an extensive ground survey across five zones — south, central, east, west, and north Mumbai. The findings are part of a five-part investigative campaign highlighting the core issues of walkability, emergency access, accountability, missed deadlines, and long-term solutions. Experts and citizens alike have questioned the wisdom of digging up roads that were reportedly in serviceable condition. “This is clearly a BMC-created crisis,” said Rishi Aggarwal, founder of the Walking Project. “Public money is being squandered while citizens are left to suffer. If participatory budgeting at the ward level had been followed, much of this could have been avoided.”
Savitha Rao, founder of India Positive Citizen, criticised the situation with a touch of sarcasm, remarking, “Mumbai should enter the Guinness Book for having the most dug-up yet functional roads. Walking here requires Neeraj Chopra-level agility. For many, it feels like the lockdown never ended — the elderly are confined indoors and the disabled face daily danger navigating broken footpaths and chaotic roads.”
Citizen activist GR Vora labelled the city’s obsession with concrete roads as “madness,” arguing that existing roads were serviceable and that corruption in road contracts has undermined tar road longevity. “Instead, hundreds of crores are being poured into unnecessary works, while residents suffer through noise, dust, and never-ending traffic snarls,” he added.
One of the core problems, experts say, is the lack of underground ducting for utilities. Without dedicated utility corridors, roads — even newly built concrete ones — must be repeatedly dug up whenever a new cable or pipe is laid. “It’s poor planning at best, and criminal negligence at worst,” said Rao, highlighting how such practices delay essential repairs and inflate costs.
Vedant Mhatre, Programme Director of the Walking Project, noted that the works could have been staggered to prevent total traffic paralysis. “Even basic pedestrian barricades or diversion signage is often missing. Although the commissioner’s recent directive to halt simultaneous digging may provide some relief, the damage is already done,” he said.
Launched in 2023, the massive Rs 12,000 crore road concreting project is to replace 702 kilometres of asphalt roads with concrete by 2027. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a goal of finishing 420 kilometres before the next monsoon. Of the 2,050 km of roads in the city that are under BMC’s jurisdiction, more than 1,350 km have already been concreted. Officials contend that concrete roads, which last 20 years as opposed to five for asphalt, are more practical due to Mumbai’s intense monsoon. Furthermore, the local authority claims that the move is justified because pothole repairs during the monsoon season have historically increased maintenance costs.
Source: Mid-Day
