Mumbai: The financial capital of India has its own charm and issues that worry the residents. The City of Dreams has certain dreams of its own that sometimes get fulfilled and at times, get postponed to another election. A lot of promises have been made by the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for Mumbai. Do they meet what Mumbaikars really want?
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Both alliances have tried to reach out to women, urban and rural voters, farmers, youths, and the working class among others. When Mumbai residents will cast their votes on November 20, five major things will be on their minds for certain.
1. Potholes Free, Cement Concretize Road and Ease Traffic Congestion
A concerned resident, while speaking on manifestos of the parties, said, "So, many parts of the city have no roads, there are more potholes than roads.. we were talking about Potholes Free Mumbai.. where is all that?? There is nothing for us.”
2. Air Pollution Is A Major Concern
Comparing the worsening air quality in Delhi to a similar situation in Mumbai, the man said, "You see the air pollution today…this problem was not even there before…we are almost becoming like Delhi; some very serious steps need to be taken to do something about this alarming problem."
3. Hygiene And Affordable Medical Care
The resident questioned if parties really do what the promise. They stressed on the city's depleting hygiene condition. "Hygiene issue is a big concern; garbage dumps are all over the place and even toilets which are made.. how hygienic they are and how much we can use it is a question mark," a respondent said.
On medical care, residents said that Mumbai does not have one hospital per constituency. "So, how do we have access to access to Govt Hospital and affordable medical care," he added.
4. Overcrowding in BEST Buses and Local Trains
Overcrowding in buses and local trains has been a long pending issue in Mumbai. An angry said that political parties are taking the city's spirit for granted. "…for so many years local trains continue to be overcrowded, there death almost everyday…people are dying due to overcrowding…Same is the case with BEST buses..," the concerned Mumbaikar said.
"The frequency of these buses has decreased instead they should have been increased.. the queues at the bus stops have increased by many folds…" the resident added,
5. Time Bound Infra Projects, Key Bridges And Enhanced Last Mile Connectivity
Residents also complained of a lack of last mile connectivity. "New metros are coming up but after getting down from metro how to reach further, there is no planning, in fact the new metro station is away from airport.. how do you expect a person to reach at airport with his luggage…" a resident said.
"What is happening is, we are being taken for granted.. we are the highest taxpayers in the county but it's really not working for us…" the resident added.
With all these issues at hand, will Mumbai change the status quo? The results will be out on November 23 and the battle is going to be a closely contested one for sure.