October 10, 2025: Commuters on Mumbai’s newly operational Aqua Line of the underground metro are finding themselves forced into an involuntary digital detox. Mobile network services remain largely unavailable along the 33.5-kilometre route, an issue that has persisted for months despite repeated complaints on social media and at station counters.
While living without connectivity for half an hour may seem a minor inconvenience, in an era where digital access underpins daily life, the lack of mobile signal raises deeper questions about what the city’s infrastructure priorities truly are. The Metro’s full commissioning up to Cuffe Parade was celebrated with much fanfare this week, yet officials failed to mention the continuing communication blackout—or other issues such as last-mile connectivity.
The omission is telling. Mumbai’s authorities have long equated “infrastructure” with grand, visible projects—airports, bridges, and metro lines—rather than the everyday systems that sustain urban life. In the rush to inaugurate the new Navi Mumbai International Airport and the extended metro network, critical services such as water supply, waste management, healthcare, and digital access have remained neglected.
Even within transport, investments overwhelmingly favour projects that ease private vehicle movement. Public transport services such as BEST buses, which carry over 3.5 million commuters daily, continue to struggle with limited budgets. Meanwhile, the Rs 37,700-crore Aqua Line and the Rs 52,000-crore suburban rail upgrade consume the headlines—and the funds.
Basic pedestrian infrastructure, too, is overlooked, despite pedestrians accounting for more than half of Mumbai’s road fatalities. Outside the gleaming Bandra-Kurla Complex station, the polluted Mithi River stands as a reminder of the city’s skewed development priorities. Until Mumbai’s planners embrace a broader, people-centred definition of infrastructure, its residents will remain disconnected—digitally and otherwise.
Source: Metro India
