Citizen convenience: BMC finally gets it right

Mumbai is no longer ‘Maximum City’; Delhi is, says the Times of India . Delhi is home to a population of 22 million and Mumbai 21 million, the newspaper has said in its analysis. Here’s a bit of rare good news for the 21 million Mumbaikars on the traffic front. “The BMC is planning to clear over 250 bottleneck spots on narrow and congested roads by removing encroachments along these roads after Diwali to help ease traffic congestion. [caption id=“attachment_112152” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The agency is identifying and preparing a list of spots across the city which see regular jams. Reuters”] [/caption] The agency is identifying and preparing a list of spots across the city which see regular jams — mostly in Andheri, Kurla, Bandra and Sion,” reports the Indian Express . Citizens, too, are doing their bit. A local group, Celebrate Bandra, is launching a drive to get local drivers more responsible, reports the Times of India . “This year while we were discussing the social project from the Celebrate Bandra festival fund, many residents wanted a solution to the problem of traffic congestion in Bandra. There is so much of road rage and indiscipline. Pedestrians are always at the risk of being run over on the streets. We felt that we needed a traffic calming project in Bandra and that’s how ‘You Turn’ was conceptualized to create a better traffic environment,” said Patricia Nath, co-convener of Celebrate Bandra, reported the newspaper. Still with traffic and commuting, Meru’s woes continue unabated, with the striking drivers and management failing to find middle ground to end the impasse. Yesterday, passengers were pulled out of taxis and drivers were beaten up, says The Hindustan Times . The High Court rights the wrongs of politicians once again. “Producer-director Subhash Ghai’s film training institute may have to surrender a major chunk of the 20-acre plot in Goregaon’s Film City area allotted to it by the state government, as suggested by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. Ghai’s Whistling Woods International Private Limited (WWIPL) should return the land not used by the institute that occupies 5.25 acres immediately and surrender the entire plot after two years when students enrolled in their courses pass out, the court said,” according to Indian Express . The BMC can, however, do some things right. The body is setting up 500 Citizen Facilitation Centres across the city. Citizens will be able to pay water bills, apply for licenses under the shops and establishments act, register marriages, births and deaths, amongst others, The Hindustan Times says .