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MUMBAI SPEAKS OUT : HINDUSTAN
TIMES - IPSOS INDICA RESEARCH -
Water, living cost your biggest
worries
MUMBAI FIRST Citizens want
world-class infrastructure,
educational facilities, a study
of 10,374 people reveals
Mumbai: Water shortages and a
high cost of living are Mumbai's
two most critical problems, say
the city's residents. The first
found its way to the list of
concerns for three-fourths of
10,374 people interviewed in
March in a Hindustan Times-
Ipsos Indica Research study. The
second was a problem for
two-thirds of the respondents.
(See box on left.)
The survey is part of HT's
Mumbai First initiative, through
which we examine in depth your
hopes for and concerns about the
city through the year. “Water is
no doubt a big concern,“ said
U.P.S. Madan, project director
of the Mumbai Transformation
Support Unit, a think tank.
“Policy makers are addressing
the supply side, with the
construction of the new Middle
Vaitarna dam. But apart from
that, we must man- age the
demand side too -- by plugging
leakages, re-using water and
considering time-of- day
metering.“ “But to me,
infrastructure is the biggest
concern, mainly housing and
transport,“ he said.
Infrastructure did emerge as one
of the top two issues for the
city's future, just behind
education.
While top-notch education- al
facilities made it to 54 per
cent of people's visions for the
city, world-class infrastructure
featured in 52 per cent of
interviewees' wish lists. Nishit
Pandey, 44, corporate director
of McDonald's for the western
and southern regions, who grew
up in Delhi but has lived in
Mumbai for the past 23 years,
acknowledged that infrastructure
was a problem in all Indian
cities, but felt others were
addressing the issue more
systematically.
“Not only is Mumbai's infra-
structure absolutely
inadequate,“ he said. “But new
developments are being carried
out in a haphazard manner.“ He
cited the three barely- used
skywalks in Bandra, Santacruz
and Vile Parle as examples. A
frequent visitor to Bangalore,
he pointed out that while that
city had built a new airport,
Mumbai was yet to get
permissions for one at Panvel.
But citizens still found much to
celebrate about the city.
Bollywood, entrepreneurship and
cosmopolitanism were the most
frequently cited features that
made people proud of Mumbai,
finding their way to 57, 56 and
52 per cent of respondents'
lists. “People are open-minded
and generous here,“ A. Sujata,
48, a homemaker who has lived in
Mumbai for the past 13 years and
has also lived in New Delhi,
Kanpur and Hyderabad. “I don't
feel insecure here, which is not
something I can say about the
other Indian cities I've lived
in.“ HT GRAPHICS: SEBASTIAN,
RAMESH, SURAJIT
Water shortages and a high cost
of living are Mumbai's two
most critical problems, say
the city's residents. The
first found its way to the
list of concerns for
three-fourths of 10,374
people interviewed in March
in a Hindustan Times Ipsos
Indica Research study. The
second was a problem for
two-thirds of the
respondents.
(See box on left.)
The survey is part of HT's
Mumbai First initiative,
through which we examine in
depth your hopes for and
concerns about the city
through the year. “Water is
no doubt a big concern,“
said U.P.S. Madan, project
director of the Mumbai
Transformation Support Unit,
a think tank. “Policy makers
are addressing the supply
side, with the construction
of the new Middle Vaitarna
dam. But apart from that, we
must man- age the demand
side too -- by plugging
leakages, re-using water and
considering time-of- day
metering.“
“But to me, infrastructure
is the biggest concern,
mainly housing and
transport,“ he said.
Infrastructure did emerge as
one of the top two issues
for the city's future, just
behind education. While
top-notch education- al
facilities made it to 54 per
cent of people's visions for
the city, world-class
infrastructure featured in
52 per cent of interviewees'
wish lists.
Nishit Pandey, 44, corporate
director of McDonald's for
the western and southern
regions, who grew up in
Delhi but has lived in
Mumbai for the past 23
years, acknowledged that
infra- structure was a
problem in all Indian
cities, but felt others were
addressing the issue more
systematically. “Not only is
Mumbai's infra- structure
absolutely inadequate,“ he
said. “But new developments
are being carried out in a
haphazard manner.“
He cited the three barely-
used skywalks in Bandra,
Santacruz and Vile Parle as
examples. A frequent visitor
to Bangalore, he pointed out
that while that city had
built a new airport, Mumbai
was yet to get permissions
for one at Panvel. But
citizens still found much to
celebrate about the city.
Bollywood, entrepreneurship
and cosmopolitanism were the
most frequently cited
features that made people
proud of Mumbai, finding
their way to 57, 56 and 52
per cent of respondents'
lists.
“People are open-minded and
generous here,“ A. Sujata,
48, a homemaker who has
lived in Mumbai for the past
13 years and has also lived
in New Delhi, Kanpur and
Hyderabad. “I don't feel
insecure here, which is not
something I can say about
the other Indian cities I've
lived in.“ HT GRAPHICS:
SEBASTIAN, RAMESH, SURAJIT
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