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Maharashtra: Mumbai's commuter crisis and a bullet train too far

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18th May, 2025 14:20 IST

Stand-up comedians in Mumbai often liken the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to a “weapon of mass destruction”, a biting comment that captures the city’s exasperation with urban infrastructure. As the delayed BMC elections finally approach, residents are increasingly vocal about the crumbling state of Mumbai’s roads, pavements and bridges. Potholes, gridlocked traffic and overcrowded local trains — despite the expansion of the metro — continue to fuel public frustration.

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has repeatedly criticised the extravagant Bullet Train project as a vanity project, arguing that Mumbai’s suburban rail network, which serves millions daily, should be the government’s real priority.

The statistics are sobering: over the past 20 years, nearly 50,000 people have died on Mumbai’s railway tracks — around 10 per cent from falling off trains, while the majority died while crossing the tracks. In 2024 alone, there were 2,468 such fatalities.

Others have echoed this sentiment. Former corporator Ramdas Kamble points out that while suburban trains fall under the purview of the Central and Western Railways — not the BMC or the state government — the neglect of the city’s broader public transit system directly impacts every commuter. He also notes that fare hikes, reduced BEST bus services and an overburdened metro network have only worsened the rush on local trains. Kamble says the Shiv Sena (UBT) plans to make these issues central to its BMC election campaign.

A recent viral video of women clinging to the footboard of a crowded local train barely caused a ripple among Mumbaikars — it’s an everyday reality. Thousands risk their lives daily by commuting on footboards, especially during rush hours. While the Railways track fatalities from such accidents, there’s no data on the severely injured who lose limbs, jobs or the ability to work.

The incident in question occurred on 9 May, when a ladies’ special train from Kalyan arrived 40 minutes late. With no room inside, many women resorted to footboarding. So what, asked some Mumbaikars, don’t men do the same? While some blamed it on the passengers’ lack of discipline and civic sense, others blamed it on ‘outsiders’ from the ‘Bimaru’ states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). Things wouldn’t improve unless they were thrown out!

The majority, however, pinned the tail on the donkey: increasing delays during rush hour push commuters to take such risks. These are systemic failures.

Even the Railways admits the problem. At peak hours, up to 16 passengers are squeezed into every square metre of coach space. Solutions — like increasing train frequency, improving punctuality or preventing footboarding — are easier said than done. The idea of automatic doors has been floated since 2015, but with little success. In 2019, then railway minister Piyush Goyal stated they could only be fitted in AC trains, where crowding is anyway less severe (on account of higher fares).

In 2020, the NITI Aayog advised the Railways, ‘Automatic doors must be installed on all suburban trains. Railways may also consider installation of platform screen doors (PSDs) on the platforms especially in high density sub-urban stations.’ PSDs, which open only when trains arrive and remain shut otherwise, are common in cities like Tokyo.

But Mumbai’s challenges are unique: non-AC coaches, designed for 200 passengers, often carry over 800 during rush hours. Closed doors could lead to suffocation, given the city’s humid climate and poor coach ventilation.

Trials between 2020 and 2023 showed that automatic doors often malfunctioned — either failing to close or refusing to open. Retrofitting is expensive, and the public remains resistant to change.

Moreover, closed-door systems could reduce passenger capacity and increase stoppage times, disrupting already stretched schedules. Some argue that the money spent on the Ahmedabad–Mumbai Bullet Train — an expensive vanity project — could have been better invested in strengthening Mumbai’s suburban network.

In September 2024, Mumbai’s locals ferried over 7 million commuters daily across the Central, Western and Harbour lines. Surely they deserve better.

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When drinking water is a distant dream

In the drought-prone villages of Maharashtra, the water crisis has led to a bizarre and troubling social phenomenon: polygamy driven by necessity. With men away for work, the burden of fetching water — often kilometres away — falls on women. The more wives a man has, the more trips can be made to collect water. Villagers admit, sometimes with resignation and sometimes with humour, that women are increasingly reluctant to marry into these villages.

The grimness of the situation came into sharp focus recently when a video went viral, showing a woman being lowered with a rope into a 40-foot-deep, nearly dry well in Borichibari village, Peth tehsil of Nashik district. The woman, tethered precariously by a thin rope, descended into the well while others watched, waiting for their turn. This isn’t a one-off; such scenes are common during the summer months in at least 16 districts grappling with severe water shortages.

Reports in Marathi media suggest that weddings have stopped in Borichibari. In some of these villages, it is not unknown for a man to marry four women to keep the water at home flowing. The wives are dismissively called ‘paniwali bai’ and possibly maltreated.

Villagers fall ill more frequently in these districts, say activists, and possibly even die younger. Sakharam Bhagat says his village has a population of just 500 people. It takes 12 hours to fetch water from the Bhatsa dam when the nearby well dries up in summer.

Drinking water is more precious than gold in these parts and protected fiercely. Villagers in Ugwa lock their plastic water tanks and drums, a feature in every house. Chanda Wakate says she doesn’t bother to lock her house when she goes out but she never forgets to locks the water drums.

Sachin Baha, a member of the local Gram Panchayat complains that the ‘Khedi Yojana’, which was to ensure drinking water to 84 villages, remains on paper.

Even though this is the wedding season, no weddings are taking place in Sambhajinagar’s Tandya village. The Jayakwadi dam, one of the largest dams in Asia, is 25–30 km away from Tandya. That’s where the women go for water, as well as the children, once they’re back from school.

In poet Bahinabai Chaudhary’s village, Asoda, girls are refusing to marry local boys. Villagers have no choice but to think twice before offering a glass of water to visitors and guests.

Despite a slew of government initiatives — the Integrated Watershed Development Programme, the Marathwada Water Grid Project and Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan — little relief has reached these villages. Experts like H.M. Desarda have criticised schemes like desilting of water barrages as “unscientific”.

Climate change, erratic rainfall, urban sprawl and industrial demand have all exacerbated the crisis. In April, water levels in 32 major dams in the state fell by 18 per cent. The Central Water Commission reported a significant drop in storage across Maharashtra. Groundwater, too, is depleting rapidly due to excessive borewell use.

However, there are glimmers of hope.Ulhas Paranjape, an engineer, has built over 350 water harvesting systems across 17 districts. Paani Foundation’s CEO Satyajit Bhatkal admits that efforts to supply drinking water via private tankers aren’t enough.

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s grand declaration about officials ensuring no one would have to go thirsty was a bad joke. His instructions to review the ground situation and install GPS on all tankers hold no water. There’s little evidence of the government being serious on this, critics argue, especially when funds continue to flow toward high-profile, low-impact projects.

Until long-term solutions are implemented and prioritised, the struggle for water will remain a daily and degrading battle — particularly for the women who bear the brunt of it.

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