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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.

Nerves of Steel

Vikram Misri, India’s Foreign Secretary, did not pound the lectern nor did he reach for jingoistic soundbites. Instead, he dismissed Pakistan’s wild accusations with quiet derision - “ludicrous”, “frivolous”, “a deranged fantasy” (in his latest press conference). His words often cut sharper than missiles.


It was Misri’s unfazed tone, precise, firm and utterly devoid of triumphalism, that has stood out during the briefings, his voice full of clipped restraint amid the thunder of missiles and misinformation.


“We have defended and reacted in a responsible and measured fashion,” he said during a daily briefing post-Sindoor, brushing aside Pakistan’s theatrics with a diplomat’s scalpel.

Misri’s words matter. He represents not just the Indian government’s formal voice abroad but also its inner logic which has been a mixture of resolve and restraint.


His career has tracked some of the most volatile turns in South Asia’s post-Cold War geopolitics. And now, as India faces a Pakistan seemingly more willing to provoke and less able to calculate the costs, Misri is the man chosen to give India’s response both gravitas and coherence.


Born in Srinagar in 1964, Misri grew up in the shadow of conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. After schooling in Gwalior and a degree in history from Delhi University’s Hindu College, he completed an MBA at XLRI, Jamshedpur, briefly working in advertising before finding his calling in diplomacy.


His talent for quiet efficiency earned him the trust of three prime ministers - I.K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi. In a system where proximity to power often breeds notoriety or missteps, Misri instead built a reputation for being unflappable, discreet and clinically well-briefed.


Internationally, his career reads like a checklist of strategic flashpoints. He was Deputy High Commissioner in Sri Lanka during tense times, Ambassador to Spain and later to Myanmar, and finally India’s envoy in Beijing during one of the chilliest periods in Sino-Indian relations (2019–2021), which included the bloody Galwan clash. As Deputy National Security Adviser from 2022 to mid-2024, he handled strategic affairs at a time when India’s foreign posture was hardening under pressure from both China and Pakistan.


When Pakistan, reeling under Operation Sindoor, turned its ire towards Indian cities and temples with missiles and accusations, Misri dubbed Pakistan’s attempts to divide India among communal lines a “deranged fantasy that only the Pakistani state can come up with.” That acidulous turn of phrase, wrapped in officialese, was vintage Misri.


His calm presence has helped New Delhi project an image of maturity even as its armed forces hit back hard. The bombing of eight Pakistani military sites in retaliation for cross-border attacks marked one of the most audacious Indian operations in recent years. Yet Misri’s message was not of aggression, but of inevitability.


Behind the scenes, Misri has been deeply involved in shaping India’s diplomatic push to highlight Pakistan’s double game to the world which is courting bailouts from the IMF while subsidising terror groups. As a son of Kashmir, Misri knows well that real national security lies not in chest-thumping but in clarity. Today, India is a country that walks the knife-edge between strategic patience and assertive posture. In Vikram Misri, it has found a custodian of both.

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