top of page

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.

Auto-driver’s daughter to be state’s firs Muslim woman IAS

Yavatmal/Mumbai: The daughter of a humble autorickshaw driver from Yavatmal has achieved what few from a similar background can dream of – cracked the UPSC to become the first Muslim woman IAS officer from Maharashtra – surmounting many hurdles.

 

When the name of Adiba Anam Ashfaque Ahemad figured on No. 142 in the UPSC results announced last week, her father Ashfaque, housewife mom Asiya Anjum, brothers Anique, 23, and Awais, 21, looked heavenward with a silent prayer, ‘Shukr-e-Alhamdulillah’.

 

For, Adiba’s was no mean feat. It fructified with ladles of blood, sweat and tears, sheer focus, determination, plus her family’s solid backing against all odds, mainly financial resources.

 

A labourer-turned-autorickshaw driver, Ahemad, SSC-pass, recalls how after marriage, he had fervently prayed for a daughter to fulfil his dreams.

 

“The Almighty gifted us Adiba… She turned out to be the ideal daughter any parents would be proud of. Always a different type of child, she was passionately studious and deeply religious, offers five-times ‘Namaz’ daily and fasts during the Ramadan month, even today,” Ahemad told The Perfect Voice.

 

Unlike other kids, Adiba shunned fancy dolls or new clothes, never demanded for special food or outdoor treats, and remained satisfied with whatever the parents could afford, added Ahemad in an emotional voice.

 

Starting her education in Urdu medium and continuing it till her UPSC level, Adiba attended Zilla Parishad Urdu Primary School, then a ZP Girls Urdu School, later Government Junior College (all in Yavatmal), finally graduating from Pune’s Abeda Inamdar Senior College in Urdu.

 

After graduation, she was keen to appear for the NEET exams, but her father’s delicate finances made her drop the plan for an alternate career option.

 

“She had been consistently intelligent and among the toppers in her academic years. A family friend, SEWA Foundation’s Nizamuddin A Sheikh inspired her to consider UPSC considering her education track record… Somehow, it clicked and Adiba changed her aim to bid for UPSC,” Ahemad said.

 

Sheikh also arranged meetings with some top serving officers to give teenaged Adiba an idea of what public service and administration is all about and she was fascinated, making it her ambition.

 

Tough preparations

 

The journey started for the grueling civil services exams with preparatory coaching courses in Haj House, Mumbai, then Jamia Hamdard Study Circle, and after clearing an entrance exam, joining the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

 

At JHSC, Adiba cleared her UPSC prelims but failed the Main (2022) by a few points, and lapsed into depression, but emerged with her parents’ counselling to bounce back.

 

The next year (2023), she cleared the prelims and the Main, and the family was delirious that she had made it – but Adiba crashed out of the crucial interview stage.

 

“This time, the whole family was in gloom, believing all was lost and even Adiba wanted to get into some ordinary profession. I had to again bring her on the tracks and goaded her to make another attempt in 2024,” remembers Ahemad.

 

Like an obedient daughter she always was, Adiba concurred for a fresh try, and finally was “blessed with Allah’s benevolence” – clearing the UPSC – and creating history for herself, he said.

 

“She will come home and then go for her training before being posted as the first Muslim woman IAS officer from Maharashtra,” explained Ahemad, his voice full of pride.

 

An excited Adiba briefly enlightened the media about her arduous journey to scale UPSC – ranked amongst the toughest competitive exams in the world – crediting her family for her triumph.

 

Her head in the clouds, Adiba's feet are firmly rooted in her modest origins and she declared that as an IAS officer she would strive to do something for society, especially girls like her who harbor lofty dreams and ambitions but can't fulfil them due to multiple reasons.

 

Many angels blessed Adiba

Never the one to give up anything half-done, Adiba Anam Ashfaque Ahemad had many ‘silent angels’ in her arduous journey from ZP schools to reaching the threshold of IAS.

 

Besides SEWA Foundation’s Nizamuddin A. Sheikh, the family is indebted to all the school teachers and college professors, plus Prof. Jawwad Quazi of The Unique Academy in Pune, for their direct and indirect financial help.

 

When she was in New Delhi, her miffed parents were in dire financial straits and secretly sold off their home in Yavatmal to support her aspirations.

 

However, when she learnt of it much later, she wept uncontrollably and quarreled with her parents for making such a huge sacrifice, but after clearing UPSC, the Ahemads are relieved and joyful.

 

“We have no words to describe our delight. She has accomplished it with her grit, many who quietly helped her en route and Divine blessings,” concluded a happy Ahemad.

Comments

bottom of page