August 29, 2025: Three days of relentless rain have once again brought Mumbai to a standstill, exposing long-standing weaknesses in the city’s infrastructure. Suburban train services, which ferry over a crore commuters daily, were disrupted, along with the BEST bus network and the monorail, once touted as a modern mass transport solution.
Images of submerged tracks, stranded commuters, and waterlogged roads dominated headlines, yet accountability remained elusive. Political leaders exchanged blame while critical services faltered. Observers note that despite being India’s financial capital, Mumbai continues to struggle with the basics — from waste management and drainage clearance to transport and civic upkeep.
Experts argue that the root of the problem lies in the overlapping jurisdictions of multiple agencies. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) manages day-to-day civic functions, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) oversees large-scale infrastructure, MHADA handles public housing, while Central and Western Railways manage suburban rail. The Urban Development Ministry plays a separate planning role. This fragmentation makes it difficult to establish clear accountability.
The High Court and civic experts have repeatedly stressed the need for a single, professional authority to coordinate services across housing, transport, drainage, waste management, and water supply. Without such reform, residents fear that corruption, inefficiency, and neglect will continue to plague the city.
The situation has political undertones as well. The recent defeat of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in the BEST credit society elections — where their alliance failed to secure a single seat out of 21 — reflects rising dissatisfaction. With BMC elections approaching, citizens appear increasingly vocal about demanding change.
For now, Mumbai’s monsoon chaos underscores a pressing reality: taxpayers are fulfilling their duties, but the city’s civic framework is failing them. A unified civic authority may be the only long-term solution.
Source: The Free Press Journal
