Reviving a City in Ruins: How Mumbai Can Learn from Shanghai
Key Highlights :
Mumbai, with its 20 million inhabitants, is one of the world’s most populous cities. But if your city has been in ruins for decades, covered with trash, potholes, and flies, you might assume that shabby is the new normal for mega-cities.
For those who have lived in Mumbai for four decades, like me, there is a long list of things best considered ‘normal’ and left alone. Potholes are fixed every year and re-appear like clockwork the next monsoon. Beloved hasn’t had flat, unbroken, smooth pavements for four decades. Debris, cracks, overgrown trees and arbitrary shrines to arbitrary gods are guaranteed to make every step a hazard. Random mounds of garbage are everywhere, and the air is always dirty. Housing colonies are black and green with moss, and rust is ubiquitous. It’s no wonder Mumbai is often compared to a war-torn city with ruins everywhere.
But what if Mumbai could be different? What if it could be transformed from a city in ruins to a vibrant and livable city? This is where Shanghai comes in. Shanghai is a coastal city, densely populated with 24 million people. Like Mumbai, it is an economic and financial hub, home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with one of the busiest ports in the world. It is a vibrant, colourful city of towering skyscrapers, a rich history and a thriving art scene.
The difference between Mumbai and Shanghai is that Shanghai is not shabby. Its pavements and roads are flat, durable and well-maintained. Things work as they should. Public toilets do not reek of urine and the leaves in public parks are not covered with dust. The Shanghai municipal corporation seems to believe that it is their job to make the city livable, and they’ve done a great job.
Mumbai has the money to make life better for its teeming millions, with its budget for 2023-2024 being R52,619 crore. However, there are still problems with bribery and corruption, which prevent the city from getting the improvements it needs.
The good news is that Mumbai can learn from Shanghai and take steps to revive the city from its ruins. The municipal corporation needs to be held accountable and corruption needs to be rooted out. This will ensure that the money is used to improve the city and make it a better place to live.
The citizens of Mumbai also have a role to play in reviving the city. They should be vigilant and report any instances of bribery or corruption they witness. They should also demand better services from the municipal corporation and hold them accountable for any lapses.
It may be hard to imagine Mumbai as anything other than a city in ruins, but with the right steps, it is possible to revive the city and make it a livable and vibrant place. Mumbai can learn from Shanghai and take steps to create a better future for its citizens.
