Bombay is cringing. Its wounds from the blasts in 2008 had barely begun to heal when it was attacked, yet again. At 7:20 pm on July 13th, 2011, I got 3 missed calls from my father. I was just leaving home and was delaying answering till I began my commute. The fourth time, I answered.
“What is it, Dad?”
“Don’t leave home. There has been a blast close to our office in Opera House.”
“Are you guys ok? Where is Mom?”
My father confirmed that they were safe but said they weren’t going to leave the office now from fear of more blasts. I spent the next few hours calling them frequently and checking the news for any additional blasts. They returned three hours later, but 133 people did not reach their homes that evening, 20 of whom have now been declared dead.
This time the bombs targeted the densely populated middle income areas of Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar and Daadar, during rush hour. Indeed, surveillance of crowded areas is challenging and perhaps the glitch in security measures is excusable. However, when this malaise extends across poverty reduction, sanitation, healthcare, education, employment and infrastructure, it is inexcusable. This egregious mismanagement of the administrative apparatus of the country’s highest tax paying city is bound to have serious repercussions.
So who is to blame for the degeneration of the city? Does the buck start and stop with the government or can we, the ordinary denizens of this sprawling metropolis shoulder some of the responsibility? Or do we just live in an era where corruption and moral degradation have become acceptable attributes? Perhaps, the answer lies somewhere in between.
There are several cases of complicity between the government and the private sector, glaringly so in the infrastructure sector. The Bandra to Worli sea link and its various proposed extensions exemplify the lack of focus and execution from both the government and the developers. As Mr. Shekhar Gupta detailed in an article in the Indian Express on July16th, “The city took nearly a decade to build a tiny sea-link at a time when the Chinese build one 14 times its size in four years.” Irrespective of the rate at which the Chinese are building bridges and highways, the dithering pace at which Bombay gets connected is worrisome.
The pathetic state of the city’s infrastructure might lead an outsider to believe that real estate prices would be in congruence with the amenities the city has to offer. However, a conversation with anyone who has recently rented or bought an apartment in the city would dismiss that myth. A close friend, Adnaan just purchased a 2 bedroom home in Lower Parel. Damage to his wallet: A million dollars. I recall seeing some swanky million dollar mansions at the outskirts of San Francisco recently and thinking, if I had a million bucks, this is what I would buy. Adnaan’s budget was million dollars, no small amount by any measure, and he had to ‘settle’ for this 1400 square foot house given the inane prices of real estate in Bombay.
These incredulous price tags are a result of the builders having to pay large amounts of “fees” to government officials for permits, clearances and land titles, and then make a large enough profit to substantiate their efforts. The government in turn, ensures they milk the developers, continues to regulate permissible FSI on buildings and successfully creates a supply crunch of housing to purport the high prices. Thus, hand in hand, the government and private developers bolster the exorbitant cost of living in Bombay.
The powerful and wealthy are clearly motivated by maximizing their profits, leading to a widening income disparity in the city. The meteoric high rises are often surrounded by sprawling slums, often with the same address. Thousands of Indians continue to immigrate to the city in search for a better life and get swallowed by the existing shanties given the unaffordable housing options. As the educated middle class gets wealthier, its consumption patterns change, marked by a conspicuous increase in spending. Bombay now boasts of several eateries that charge $100 for a meal for 2, amounting to the monthly wage of one’s house help. A ‘regular Saturday night’ at the city’s hottest clubs including entrance, drinks and post party munchies can easily cost another $100 per person, sufficient to provide a basic nutritional meal to a 100 people.
The private sector is not incentivized to bridge this income disparity since they enjoy the luxuries of chauffeurs, maids and cooks, leaving the onus for change on the government. The ministers are occupied with devising schemes for maximizing revenues and winning the next election, rather than focusing on youth empowerment through education and welfare. Some impoverished and unemployed youth are thus maneuvered into politics and enlisted as party workers by invoking a communal or religious spirit in them. Other jaded individuals are cajoled into crime by the city’s underworld gangsters who lure them into the profession by promising them a ticket to the highlife they can see but not touch.
Thus, the heinous cycle of corruption, poverty, greed, crime and terror is completed. Each problem is seemingly distinct; the combined ramifications are serious. Riots and terror attacks do occur sporadically, but given the gravity of the problems, I am surprised the city hasn’t become a constantly simmering inferno of hatred and violence. Continually provoked communal, caste based, income and political differences in the city, in addition to exogenous terror threats provide the ideal breeding ground for disillusioned youth. The government mandate is clear: provide the tools to ensure social mobility and level the playing field. We should be obsessed with improving physical infrastructure and building educational institutions. The private sector must stop purporting the culture of bribing, avoid flashy display of wealth, establish foundations for youth empowerment, elect capable leaders and then support them adequately. We must make plausible the route to success through education, labor and diligence, possible only through a concerted effort by the government and those governed. Or else, this maximum city could soon be minimized to insignificance.
Please share your thoughts on the issue by commenting on this post. Also, do read a dear
friend Jayati's blog http://jayativora.com/2011/07/22/four-on-friday-mumbai-on-my-mind/#comment-100
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