[sustran] Re: World Bank loan for MUTP

[kisan mehta]

Dear Dr George Varghese,   Walter, Bina and Sustran Colleagues,

George has raised pertinent issues.   Mumbai is developing, exploding
with activities.   Mumbai has the highest average population density in
the world with more than 26,000 per sq km, some areas touching
100,000.   Even the Island City has over 45,000 resident population
density with about equal number visiting that part daily. About 65 %
of the population stay in slums not having basic amenities.  A few
Mumbaites rank amongst the wolrd's richest.

Water supplywise, Mumbai always gets whatever supply it needs. The
World Bank and others are all anxious to provide loans for building
more supply sources for diverting water to Mumbai.  A flat owner is
allocated 135 liters per capita a day while a slum dweller should feel
happy if he could draw 25 lt from the comon tap.   About 60% of
Municipal revenue is from octroi which apply equally to all- rich and
poor.  Some of the largest business houses located in Mumbai avoid
income tax liability upto Rs 3 billion each through legal loopholes.
The Municipality spends Rs 3 billion a year on road construction and
maintenance without getting anything from vehicle owners. Spending on
public health and education are less than half each. State Government
drastically cut off budgetted allocation on education and public health
but is bent on spending secretly kept Rs 70 billion for motorways.

Prices of cooking gas more than doubled in three years with
petrol prices rising about 15% and declining recently.  Prices of
petroleum based items are govt regulated. Mumbai has reputedly
the highest 2 and 4 wheeler density in the world.  One can own a
car with finance provided at practically zero % interest but no
scheme for assistance to obtain a bicyle.

Air quality is extremely poor.  Solid Particulate Matter level
is exceedingly high yet the proposed MUTP would build more
pavementless  carriageways.   We thought of meeting Bina before
formally responding to her reply to our suggestion to Sustran
friends.  She has graciously agreed to meet on 14 Mar.   More
afterwards.     Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta and Priya Salvi

----- Original Message -----
From: <varghese at krec.ernet.in>
To: sustran-discuss <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
Cc: kisan mehta <kisansbc at vsnl.com>; Walter Hook <whook at igc.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 11:05 AM
Subject: Re: [sustran] Re: World Bank loan for MUTP


> Dear sustran
>
>     Let me refer to what Bina CBalakrishnan wrote on 10 Mar 2002,
>
> > As we will all readily admit, Mumbai as a city is barely
> > functional. These people try to do their best, despite tremendous
>
> Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country where 60% of all
> commercial transactions are undertaken. It is one of the fastest growing
> financial capitals of the world. To say that " Mumbai as a city is barely
> functional" as Bina has construed is ridiculous.
>
>             Should the  email from Bina be considered as  a 'Self
> Advertisement Campaign' or is it realy borne out of a genuine concern for
> Mumbai Transport Scenario?....  Or, is it aimed at providing  publicity
> to  NeTrA?...
>
> Bina says,
> "> Coming now to the much-discussed MUTP, we at NeTrA believe in
> > trying the application of management solutions to solve a
> > transportation problem, before resorting to an engineering, or
> > supply side, solution. "
>
>  It would be indeed beneficial if Bina could  elaborate  the above
> line so that the recipients of this email would be in a position to
> comment on the  "management solutions" recommended. I too was a resident
> of Mumbai for a long time and had also been closely in touch with MMRDA,
> BEST, etc. The solutions to problems are not just as easy as providing
> management solutions. These solutions are efective only in the initial
> stages of  development of a city  for improvement of traffic scenario.
>
> "Management solutions" touch only the fringe of the problem. What we need
> is a "comprehensive systems approach towards" solving problems in
> transportation which involves input from various fields related to
> transportation as most specialists in the field of Transportation Systems
> Engineering would agree.   Also, the solutions  to transport problems must
> be derived from all angles after proper study and careful evaluation of
> the alternatives to the  problem  situation.
>
> Bina also says
> > Therefore,
> > I feel that those projects that have been identified within the
> > scope of the MUTP are sorely needed, and the sooner they are
> > implemented, the better off the city and its residents will be.
>
> > Be very assured, however, that we are not any part of the "Car
> > lobby"
>
>    Whether the projects that were identified within the scope of MUTP are
> sorely needed or not is a subject that has been discussed by experts in
> various fields in various forum. Some agree to the projects while some
don't.
> Whether the residents will be benefitted is something that they have to
> wait and see.
>
>   How can we claim ourselves to be not party of one lobby or the other? We
> are all humans and we all have our biases. The bias always creeps in in
> one way or the other in all our actions and delibrations.
>
> Dr. Varghese George,
> (Transportation Systems Engineering- Specialization)
> Dept. of Civil Engg,
> KREC, Surathkal
> email:  varghese at krec.ernet.in
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> On 10 Mar 2002, Bina CBalakrishnan wrote:
>
> > Dear Mr. Mehta, Ms. Salvi,
> >
> > Thank you for the gracious invitation to meet with you at your
> > offices in Mumbai.
> >
> > Maybe I should tell you where I'm coming from, and where I stand,
> > first.
> >
> > As I said earlier, I am an independent consultant in
> > Transportation Planning and Engineering, based in Mumbai. I was
> > fortunate to do a study for Mumbai in 1999-2000, where I
> > interacted very closely with the senior officers of the MMRDA, the
> > BMC, the Maharashtra Maritime Board, the Western and Central
> > Railways, and the then newly formed MRVC. I was impressed with the
> > commitment I saw there.
> >
> > As we will all readily admit, Mumbai as a city is barely
> > functional. These people try to do their best, despite tremendous
> > odds, funds crunch, and the sheer weight of numbers. But as an
> > independent consultant, once I finished my job, I moved on.
> >
> > Last year, I was drawn into a very novel movement here in Mumbai.
> > Aware of the problems facing the city, and also aware of the
> > Government's limitations in resolving them, a group of NGOs had
> > come together to stem the city's rapid downslide. The most obvious
> > problem was transportation, and the immediate fallout - apart from
> > other issues- was the increased levels of pollution in the city.
> > The group targeted this, therefore. They called themselves NeTrA -
> > an acronym for Networking for Transportation Alternatives. I am
> > now very actively involved with NeTrA, and guide them on
> > transportation related issues.
> >
> > NeTrA is committed to improving the transportation system of
> > Mumbai, and believes in working very closely with the concerned
> > authorities in order to achieve this objective. Confrontations
> > solve very few problems, and generally results in the waste of a
> > lot of time. NeTrA therefore focuses on issues, and forces a
> > meaningful dialogue with the Government, getting it to make
> > commitments, and setting target dates for achieving these
> > commitments.
> >
> > Coming now to the much-discussed MUTP, we at NeTrA believe in
> > trying the application of management solutions to solve a
> > transportation problem, before resorting to an engineering, or
> > supply side, solution. However, having done the earlier job in
> > Mumbai, I am aware of the limitations of the road network of the
> > city, and also of the transportation system as a whole. Therefore,
> > I feel that those projects that have been identified within the
> > scope of the MUTP are sorely needed, and the sooner they are
> > implemented, the better off the city and its residents will be. Be
> > very assured, however, that we are not any part of the "Car
> > lobby", but are actively trying to promote mass transportation-
> > both road based and rail based, and if possible, water based
> > too!
> >
> > This does not imply that we have blindly agreed to whatever the
> > plans involve. We have been attending the public presentations,
> > and making suggestions, some of which have been included in the
> > scope of the MUTP. Where we do not agree, we raise an objection,
> > and it has been looked into. As I said earlier, the entire EIA is
> > on the net, and available to anyone who may be interested.
> >
> > Having said this much, I would be happy to meet with you, either
> > as an independent planner or as a member of NeTrA.
> >
> > My very best regards to you and Ms. Salvi.
> > Bina C. Balakrishnan
> > Consultant
> > Transportation Planning and Engineering
> > e-mail: binac at rediffmail.com
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>