November 28, 2025: Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director and Additional Chief Secretary to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ashwini Bhide, said on Thursday that mega infrastructure initiatives such as the Metro network and the Coastal Road are crucial to ensuring smooth and efficient transportation across Mumbai. Speaking at the late BG Deshmukh Memorial Lecture Series organised by the Maharashtra Chapter of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, she highlighted how early hurdles — ranging from legal and environmental approvals to technical complexities and public concerns — were resolved through systematic planning, transparent communication, inter-agency coordination, and active citizen engagement.
Bhide shared an in-depth overview of the planning and execution of the Metro and Coastal Road projects, focusing particularly on Line-3 (Colaba–SEEPZ), India’s first fully underground metro corridor. “The underground Metro is not just an engineering project but an excellent example of social engineering. Despite construction in crowded residential and commercial areas for more than five years, people’s trust was retained through extensive communication and transparent updates via social media. Due to stringent safety measures and quality work, not a single untoward incident occurred during the entire construction period,” she said.
She further added that the project benefited from “planning, strong and committed leadership, quick decision-making, continuous site monitoring, teamwork, modern technology, open dialogue with citizens, problem-solving approach, and strong political will,” noting that coordination between agencies including Mumbai Police, BMC, Railways, Defence, Port Trust, the Airport Authority, and the Chief Minister’s War Room was critical.
Bhide emphasised that Mumbai’s dense population and constrained peninsula-like geography continue to strain its infrastructure, making integrated, modern solutions essential. She highlighted completed projects such as Atal Setu, the Marine Drive–Bandra Worli Sea Link Coastal Road, and the Navi Mumbai International Airport, while listing several ongoing and upcoming transport corridors.
Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal remarked that completing an underground metro in a city as complex as Mumbai is a major achievement. “Inspired by this success, there is now a demand to build Delhi Metro’s upcoming projects underground as well. Such projects deliver better services to citizens,” he said, stressing that administrators must work with teamwork and positive intent to improve public life.
Source: India News Queensland
