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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Lost in Transport

Mumbai’s grand transport infrastructure is undermined by potholes, Poor discipline and a last-mile gaps that keeps it crawling Mumbai: It is morning time, and Pawan Khandelwal is all set to leave for work. A creative lead at an ad agency in Malad, Mumbai, Khandelwal should take 12 to 15 minutes to reach the office, but that rarely happens because of the traffic, poor road quality and lack of civic sense among co-drivers on the road. He mostly ends up reaching the office in 30 to 40 minutes....

Lost in Transport

Mumbai’s grand transport infrastructure is undermined by potholes, Poor discipline and a last-mile gaps that keeps it crawling Mumbai: It is morning time, and Pawan Khandelwal is all set to leave for work. A creative lead at an ad agency in Malad, Mumbai, Khandelwal should take 12 to 15 minutes to reach the office, but that rarely happens because of the traffic, poor road quality and lack of civic sense among co-drivers on the road. He mostly ends up reaching the office in 30 to 40 minutes. Khandelwal firmly believes that road construction is not a major issue for traffic. “The road under construction is not a big issue because they usually don’t take very long to repair the roads. But even after their work is done, it is not done perfectly. At times when they are digging up the road for other purposes, they often leave a bump or a pothole,” he said. He gives an example, “One can see it on the western express highway. There are so many bumps. We call it a highway, but we can’t even drive at 15 km/h because it is not fixed properly.” He also blames people for not following traffic rules, which adds to the problem. Traffic Woes Although there are coastal roads and metros available, the traffic still seems to be a problem for many residents. A media professional and a daily commuter, Charlene Flanagan has been travelling in Mumbai for many years now. There is not much difference in her experience of the traffic congestion. From her experience, she believes the coastal roads and metros have not completely accomplished the mission of curbing traffic congestion. She says, “As a resident of Mumbai and as a person with a valid driver’s licence, I would say the traf f ic hasn’t really changed. It is still as congested, and whether the coastal roads have helped depends on the time of the day you leave and whether you are going against the traffic or along with the traffic.” The pedestrians also face problems. Saloni Mehta, a theatre artiste, says, “I prefer walking to my destinations. For example, I live in Versova, and if I want to see a play in the Prithvi Theatre, I will take a half-hour walk. However, this one time, I could not reach the venue, not just because of the traffic but also because there were no pavements left to walk on. The roads are dug up, and every road is just half a road.” Mumbai’s average speed covered is 5.2 km per 15 minutes. During the peak traffic hours in the morning, when most people travel to their workplace, the average speed is 18.5 km/h. It is important to understand the issue and address it with a solution. Sudhir Badami, an author of the book ‘Matter of Equitability - Making Commuting in Mumbai Enviable’, explains why people still prefer to use cars over metros, “The metro line 3 has definitely taken away some car users. But it has not taken away sufficient numbers of car users to make a difference in the state of road congestion. The reason behind this is essentially the last-mile connectivity in areas where the Aqua Line or Line 7 operates, especially in suburban areas. In the city area, it is supported by good BEST services on the one hand, and taxis being available near the metro stations on the other hand. But most car users still opt for using their cars, as public transport currently does provide assured exclusivity, comfort and good frequency, not forgetting last mile connectivity. The Coastal Road sees very few cars compared to the number of cars on Mumbai’s Roads. Badami, as a transportation analyst, says, “Mumbai has approximately 16 Lakhs motor cars, out of which only about 55,000 seem to be using coastal roads. It is such a minuscule proportion for whom so much has been spent. This is largely because in the city, people don’t go from one end of the city to the other end. They normally start from in between and go somewhere in between. If there is not much time saving for the shorter stretches, then people are not likely to take it, and there will be continued congestion on city roads.” “In general, the necessity of the last-mile connectivity is an important part, but the greater part will be how to get car users onto the public transport,” says Badami. Public transport must provide near exclusivity, comfort and safety to a car-using commuter for migration to take place. This is where the importance of last-mile connectivity is felt. Air Pollution The slow-moving traffic also adds to the air pollution in the city several times more than when they are moving at optimum speeds, he says. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Mumbai, Anil Kumbhare, denies that there is much traffic congestion in Mumbai as compared to five years back. He credits the coastal roads for curbing the traffic. He says, “Earlier, there used to be bumper-to bumper traffic near Haji Ali. That has come down drastically. As coastal roads shape, the traffic will go down.” He also adds that there is traffic congestion in the morning hours as people are travelling for work. But there is no traffic jam. Although coastal roads have helped, there are still pockets of the city that face traffic congestion every day. This can be solved with careful planning and execution.

A Battle for the Future

Updated: Feb 19, 2025

The Serbian government’s failure in the face of a deadly accident has sparked a youth-led revolution that threatens to unseat its long-time populist president.

Serbian

In Serbia, Statehood Day last week saw a dramatic demonstration of the growing divide between the establishment and a disillusioned populace desperate for change. Thousands of students gathered in Kragujevac, demanding justice and an end to corruption. The contrasting messages — President Aleksandar Vucic’s fiery nationalist rhetoric to preserve Serbian sovereignty, the other a cry for transparency and accountability — encapsulate the nation’s current political upheaval.


The students have been vehemently protesting the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy in Novi Sad in November last year, which killed 15 people. This disaster, widely attributed to governmental negligence and endemic corruption, has become a powerful symbol of the failures of Vucic’s government. The students, initially mobilized by the calamity, have evolved into leaders of a nationwide anti-graft movement. Their efforts reflect a broader sentiment among Serbians that the political elite led by Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has become entrenched in corruption and authoritarian practices.


The student protest in Kragujevac was particularly poignant. The town holds historical significance as the site of Serbia’s 1835 Constitution, which sought to curtail the power of the ruling elite under the Ottoman Empire. Today, students flocked to Kragujevac not only to demand justice for the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy but to call for the renewal of Serbia’s democratic principles.


The protests have evolved into a movement with wide-reaching support, transcending student bodies to include activists, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens who have grown disillusioned with Serbia’s political status quo. Over the past three months, the movement has led to significant concessions from the government, including the resignation of the Prime Minister, as well as criminal charges for 13 individuals involved in the corruption scandal surrounding the Novi Sad accident. Yet, the students remain unsatisfied, insisting that full accountability must be achieved before they will stop protesting.


Vucic, however, has dismissed the protests as part of a foreign plot to destabilize Serbia. In his rhetoric, he has repeatedly accused Western powers of trying to undermine his government and create chaos in the region. His speech on Statehood Day mirrored this narrative, warning that Serbia’s enemies are actively working to bring down the country’s leadership. He even suggested that foreign funds are being used to orchestrate the protests. Despite these claims, Vucic has been unable to provide tangible evidence of such foreign interference. For many Serbians, this increasingly paranoid tone feels like a last-ditch effort by a president whose hold on power is beginning to slip.


While Vucic’s nationalistic appeal still resonates with many Serbs, particularly in rural areas and among those who feel threatened by the idea of Serbia’s integration into the European Union, his government’s failures in governance are becoming harder to ignore. The ongoing protests, combined with Vucic’s diminishing credibility, have exposed deep fractures in Serbia’s political landscape. The president’s focus on a conspiracy theory involving foreign powers is seen by many as an attempt to distract from the real issues of corruption and rule of law.


The students, however, remain cautious about the involvement of opposition political parties, many of whom they accuse of being equally compromised by corruption. Their movement has thus far resisted calls for the formation of a transitional government to oversee fair elections, preferring to keep its focus on root-and-branch political reform. This stance has left Vucic with limited space to negotiate with his opposition, as the legitimacy of his leadership is increasingly questioned by the younger generation.


In the coming days, Serbia’s political crisis will likely deepen. The students’ ability to maintain momentum, despite efforts to discredit them, will be crucial in determining the outcome of the struggle for Serbia’s future. A new era of reform, accountability, and democratic renewal is possible, but it will require more than just rallies and protests.

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