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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.

The Left’s Hindu Blind Spot

Updated: Apr 1, 2025

Pinarayi Vijayan’s reaction to the ‘Empuraan’ controversy exposes his party’s double standards on free speech and tolerance.

Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala

Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has never shied away from branding himself as a champion of free speech – that is, so long as it suits his political leanings. His enthusiastic endorsement of L2: Empuraan, a film that has sparked national outrage for its alleged anti-Hindu and anti-BJP overtones, is a glaring example of his party’s selective outrage. Even as the controversy surrounding the film refuses to die down, Vijayan chose to celebrate its release rather than acknowledge the concerns raised by critics. This ideological hypocrisy has long defined the Left’s approach to dissent in India.


At the heart of the Empuraan controversy lies a sequence depicting the 2002 Gujarat riots, with a key antagonist allegedly modelled on a right-wing figure. Unsurprisingly, the Sangh Parivar and the BJP have slammed the film for peddling a divisive, one-sided narrative. The RSS-affiliated Organiser magazine has called it “a propaganda vehicle designed to deepen religious fault lines.”


Vijayan, however, preferred to indulge in theatrical posturing. Watching the film with his family and publicly endorsing it sends a clear message: narratives that align with his ideological leanings are acceptable, no matter how controversial. Yet, this is the same leader who has, time and again, condemned other artistic expressions for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which Vijayan leads in Kerala, has a long history of taking offense when its own ideological comfort zone is breached. When The Kerala Story - a film critical of radicalization in the state - was released, the CPI(M) joined the chorus calling for a ban, dismissing it as “propaganda.” But when Empuraan triggers backlash for its portrayal of the Gujarat riots, the same party suddenly transforms into a torchbearer of artistic freedom.


The broader problem is the Left’s glaring double standards when it comes to Hindu sentiments. In the name of secularism, leftist leaders and intellectuals have consistently dismissed or trivialized concerns raised by Hindus while championing the grievances of other communities. The Empuraan episode is merely the latest example of this lopsided approach. When controversies arise over films that critique Islam or Christianity, the Left rushes to invoke sensitivity and calls for restraint. However, when Hindu sensibilities are hurt, those protesting are branded as intolerant, regressive, or, worse, communal.


Mohanlal’s decision to issue a public apology and the reported removal of 17 scenes - including riot sequences and depictions of violence against women - suggest that even the filmmakers recognized the contentious nature of their work. The Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) intervention further underscores the validity of the concerns raised. Vijayan’s silence on this development is telling. For a leader who claims to stand against censorship and for free expression, he has shown no interest in defending the artistic autonomy of a film that has been forced to undergo edits. If anything, his endorsement of Empuraan while ignoring the backlash it has generated reeks of political opportunism.


The Kerala Chief Minister’s stance on Empuraan is emblematic of a deeper issue within Indian politics: the weaponization of artistic freedom. The Left routinely invokes free speech as a defencewhen its narratives are under fire but quickly discards the principle when confronted with dissenting viewpoints. Vijayan’s selective outrage reflects this broader hypocrisy. If free speech is to mean anything in India, it cannot be conditional upon ideological convenience.


The Empuraan controversy ultimately is about the deeper fault lines in Indian discourse. The backlash against its alleged biases is not an isolated reaction but a reflection of growing resentment against the systematic dismissal of Hindu concerns. Pinarayi Vijayan, with his glaring double standards, has only reinforced this perception. Until political leaders apply the same standards of tolerance across the ideological spectrum, their proclamations of secularism and free speech will continue to ring hollow.

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