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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Infrastructure moment in MMR

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) stands at a critical inflection point as the Mahayuti alliance secured near-complete control over key municipal corporations across the region. With aligned political leadership at the state and civic levels, the long-fragmented governance architecture of India’s most complex urban agglomeration may finally see greater coherence in planning and execution. For a region grappling with mobility stress, water insecurity and uneven urban expansion, the...

Infrastructure moment in MMR

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) stands at a critical inflection point as the Mahayuti alliance secured near-complete control over key municipal corporations across the region. With aligned political leadership at the state and civic levels, the long-fragmented governance architecture of India’s most complex urban agglomeration may finally see greater coherence in planning and execution. For a region grappling with mobility stress, water insecurity and uneven urban expansion, the question now is not what to build—but how quickly and seamlessly projects can be delivered. Urban mobility remains the backbone of MMR’s infrastructure agenda. Several metro corridors are at advanced stages, including the Andheri West–Vikhroli Metro Line 6 and extensions of the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ Metro Line 3. While construction has progressed steadily, coordination issues with municipal agencies—particularly related to road restoration, utilities shifting and traffic management—have often slowed execution. With elected civic bodies now politically aligned with the state government and agencies like MMRDA and MMRC, these bottlenecks are expected to ease. Decision-making on road closures, permissions for casting yards and last-mile integration with buses and footpaths could see faster turnarounds. Suburban rail projects such as the Panvel–Karjat corridor and additional railway lines on the Central and Western routes are also likely to benefit from smoother land acquisition and rehabilitation approvals, traditionally the most contentious municipal functions. Regional Connectivity MMR’s road infrastructure has expanded rapidly in recent years, but execution has often been uneven across municipal boundaries. Projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road, the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road, the Thane–Borivali tunnel and the Airoli–Katai connector have regional significance but require constant coordination with local bodies for utilities, encroachments and traffic planning. Under a unified civic dispensation, authorities expect fewer inter-agency delays and greater willingness at the municipal level to prioritise regionally critical projects over hyper-local political considerations. The next phase of the Coastal Road, suburban creek bridges, and arterial road widening projects in fast-growing nodes like Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli and Panvel could be streamlined as municipal corporations align their development plans with state transport objectives. Water Security Water supply remains one of the most politically sensitive infrastructure issues in MMR, particularly in peripheral urban zones. Projects such as the Surya Regional Water Supply Scheme and proposed dam developments in the Karjat region are designed to address chronic shortages in Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and parts of Navi Mumbai. While these projects are state-driven, municipal cooperation is critical for distribution networks, billing systems and sewerage integration. With elected bodies replacing administrators, local governments are expected to accelerate last-mile pipelines, treatment plants and sewage networks that often lag behind bulk water infrastructure. Unified political control may also reduce resistance to tariff rationalisation and long-delayed sewage treatment upgrades mandated under environmental norms. Housing Integration One area where political alignment could have an outsized impact is redevelopment—particularly slum rehabilitation and transit-oriented development. Many large housing projects have stalled due to disputes between civic officials, state agencies and local political interests. A cohesive governance structure could fast-track approvals for cluster redevelopment near metro corridors, unlocking both housing supply and ridership potential. Municipal corporations are also likely to align their development control regulations more closely with state urban policy, enabling higher density near transport nodes and more predictable redevelopment timelines. This could be transformative for older suburbs and industrial belts awaiting regeneration. The return of elected municipal councils after years of administrative rule introduces political accountability but also sharper alignment with state priorities. Budget approvals, tendering processes and policy decisions that earlier faced delays due to political uncertainty are expected to move faster. Capital expenditure plans could increasingly reflect regional priorities rather than fragmented ward-level demands. However, challenges remain. Faster execution will depend not only on political control but on institutional capacity, contractor performance and financial discipline. Public scrutiny is also likely to intensify as elected representatives seek visible results within fixed tenures.

Cry Freedom!

Mir Yar Baloch, a hitherto unknown activist globally, has thrust himself into the geopolitical limelight by declaring Balochistan independent from Pakistan. From his perch in exile, he has cast the gauntlet not only at Islamabad but also into the court of the world’s great powers, urging formal recognition of the putative Republic of Balochistan.


To understand the weight of that declaration, one must consider the history of Balochistan’s fractious relationship with the Pakistani state. When British India was carved in 1947, Balochistan’s princely rulers sought autonomy, briefly declaring independence. But Pakistan annexed the region by force in 1948, setting the stage for decades of insurgency. Five major uprisings have since scarred its arid terrain. The most recent, ignited after the 2006 killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, a revered tribal leader, still simmers.


Mir Yar Baloch is not the first to call for secession, but he is the most forthright in framing it for the digital age. A writer, human rights activist and self-styled diplomat of the Free Baloch Movement, he has harnessed social media to globalise the Baloch cause. His slogan, ‘Tum Maroge Hum Niklenge, Hum Nasal BachanyNikle Hain’ has struck a chord among the Baloch diaspora. He has requested India to host a Baloch embassy in New Delhi and demanded the UN deploy peacekeepers to the province.


Balochistan has suffered more than any other province under Pakistan’s military-dominated establishment. Enforced disappearances, mass graves and air strikes are common in its restive districts. Baloch nationalists argue that Pakistan’s Punjabi elite has extracted the region’s natural wealth while giving little in return. The gas fields of Sui, which power much of urban Pakistan, have brought scant development to the Bugti heartland where they lie. Today, the vast copper and gold reserves of RekoDiq threaten to repeat that pattern.


What raises the geopolitical stakes is Balochistan’s location. It borders both Iran and Afghanistan and provides Pakistan access to the Arabian Sea. China has poured billions into developing the port of Gwadar as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, hoping to funnel oil and goods from the Middle East across Pakistan to Xinjiang. The Baloch insurgency is a direct threat to all this. Locals complain of being shut out from jobs and land, while Islamabad insists many have prospered from land sales and infrastructure contracts. As is often the case in Pakistan, both narratives contain some truth and conceal much more.


India, for its part, has long watched Balochistan with a mixture of quiet interest and strategic ambiguity. Since 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the plight of Balochistan in his Independence Day speech, whispers of Indian support for Baloch separatists have grown louder. Mir Yar Baloch’s declaration and his open support for India’s demand that Pakistan vacate PoK has added fuel to that fire.


There are risks that Mir Yar Baloch could be dismissed as a ‘fringe’ provocateur by Western powers wary of new borders and averse to antagonising Pakistan, notwithstanding its record of harnessing terrorists. Yet in a region where identities are fiercely contested, his voice may resonate longer than expected, especially given that Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor have laid Pakistan’s defences totally prostrate. India, emboldened by its show of force and growing international clout, will undeniably find strategic value in amplifying voices like Baloch’s. In a region where empires have fallen and maps have shifted, Balochistan’s claim, long buried under boots and silence, is once again on the table.

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