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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 Ticking Time Bomb

Updated: Jan 30, 2025

As the embattled city of Goma in the Congo descends further into chaos, the world teeters on the brink of an Ebola catastrophe.

Congo

In the war-torn landscape of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where rebel factions are clashing with government forces, lies a ticking time bomb that has set-off alarm bells. In the confines of a biomedical laboratory in the heart of this chaotic city, deadly pathogens, including the highly contagious Ebola virus, are stored under precarious conditions. With power cuts threatening to compromise the integrity of the facility, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned if the virus escapes, it could lead to an unimaginable outbreak.


The National Institute for Biomedical Research, which houses the dangerous viral samples, is located close to the ICRC’s office, underscoring the proximity of the risk. The ongoing conflict between the Tutsi-led M23 rebels and Rwandan forces has exacerbated an already dire scenario. As soldiers and insurgents wage war, the civilians of Goma find themselves trapped in a nightmarish battle for survival, facing the dual threats of violence and disease.


The history of the DRC has long been one marked by instability. The Eastern Congo region, rich in minerals but plagued by a cycle of conflict, has seen tensions flare since the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which left deep scars in the region. The battle for control of mineral resources, exacerbated by ethnic divisions and the involvement of foreign powers, has created a perpetual state of unrest. The M23, a rebel group with roots in Rwanda, has capitalized on this instability, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The UNHCR reported over half a million displaced individuals in the region just this year, adding to the nearly 700,000 displaced people already in Goma, struggling to find shelter in a city increasingly consumed by chaos.


At the heart of this crisis is the fragile healthcare infrastructure, now under siege. The Red Cross has voiced grave concerns about the safety of the biomedical laboratory, where Ebola virus samples are stored. The threat of power outages, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict, could cause the samples to deteriorate or escape, leading to an uncontrolled outbreak. This is a virus that has already claimed thousands of lives in past outbreaks. The 2014-2015 epidemic, which ravaged West Africa, killed over 11,000 people, and in its most lethal form, the mortality rate can soar to 90 percent without immediate treatment. The possibility of such an outbreak in volatile Goma already a city on the edge of collapse could lead to a disaster of biblical proportions.


The 1995 film ‘Outbreak’ starring Dustin Hoffman portrayed a race against time to contain a fictional virus in a similarly volatile African country that threatened to devastate humanity. Currently, the very real possibility of a biological catastrophe in Goma mirrors such films.


The Red Cross has not only warned about the Ebola virus but has also raised the alarm about the dire conditions facing the civilian population. In the midst of the fighting, hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties. The ICRC’s medical staff, who have treated more than 600 wounded civilians this month alone, report harrowing accounts of women and children caught in the crossfire.


Hospitals like Goma’s CBCA Ndosho are understaffed and struggling to cope with the influx of patients, many of whom are seriously wounded by gunshots or shrapnel. The healthcare system, already fragile, is now on the brink of collapse. One spark, whether it be a rebel attack, a power cut, or a lapse in safety protocols, could trigger a biological disaster of unprecedented scale.


The ICRC’s call for the protection of the biomedical laboratory is not just a plea for the safety of medical samples, but a warning of the potentially catastrophic consequences of inaction. As the world watches, Goma’s situation has become a stark reminder of the precariousness of global health security.

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