THE VIP CORRIDOR PARADOX: IF THE BMC CAN FIX ROADS OVERNIGHT, WHY DON’T THEY?
In the dead of night, a miracle occurred on the stretch from INS Shikra to the Taj Hotel in Colaba. Where there were once uneven surfaces, jarring speed breakers, and the usual urban wear-and-tear of Mumbai, there is now a velvet ribbon of asphalt. Zebra crossings have been bleached white with fresh paint; kerbstones have been meticulously lined in yellow and black.
This transformation wasn’t the result of a long-fought citizen petition or a scheduled municipal upgrade. It was the “VVIP Effect”—a frantic, high-octane makeover triggered by the impending visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
For the average Mumbaikar, who spends a significant portion of their life navigating cratered roads and “temporary” monsoon patches that dissolve at the first drizzle, these photos are bittersweet. They prove a frustrating truth: the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) possesses the manpower, the material, and the technical competence to achieve world-class results in less than 24 hours. The bottleneck, it seems, is not a lack of resources, but a lack of political will.
THE MIRAGE OF THE “EVENT-DRIVEN” CITY
India’s urban governance is increasingly trapped in a cycle of “Event-led Development.” Whether it is a G20 summit, a diplomatic visit, or a major sporting event, infrastructure is treated as a stage prop to be polished for an audience of dignitaries, rather than a utility for the residents who fund it.
When the BMC removes speed breakers to ensure “smooth passage” for a motorcade, they are prioritizing the kinetic requirements of a high-security convoy over the safety requirements of the local pedestrian. It suggests a hierarchy of citizenship where the comfort of the visitor outweighs the daily struggle of the taxpayer.
THE COST OF AD-HOCISM
This “war-footing” approach to civic work is inherently flawed. Most “overnight” repairs are cosmetic—layering fresh bitumen over old problems without addressing underlying drainage or structural integrity. Because these works bypass the standard tender and audit cycles to meet a diplomatic deadline, they often lack the longevity of planned infrastructure.
Furthermore, this diversion of resources creates a “Geography of Neglect.” While the “Gold Coast” of South Mumbai receives a facelift, the suburbs—where the bulk of Mumbai’s workforce actually lives—languish. The message sent to the citizen is clear: your commute is an inconvenience; a dignitary’s motorcade is a priority.
DEMOCRATIZING THE “VVIP STANDARD”
The efficiency displayed in Colaba this week should not be an anomaly; it should be the benchmark. If a pothole can be leveled in six hours for a President, it should not take six months for a school bus route. To bridge this trust deficit, we must shift from “Event-Driven” to “Process-Driven” governance. This requires:
– Digital Accountability: Implementing real-time public dashboards where road quality is tracked with the same “no-fail” deadlines applied to VVIP visits.
– Decentralized Power: Empowering ward-level engineers with the same “emergency” autonomy they enjoy during high-profile visits.
– The “VVIP for a Day” Policy: A mental shift where municipal bodies treat every citizen’s safety with the same urgency as a diplomatic protocol.
A city is not a set for a photo-op; it is a living, breathing machine powered by its taxpayers. Until the BMC applies the same “overnight miracle” logic to the potholes of Kurla or the sidewalks of Andheri, the smooth roads of Colaba will remain a reminder of what we are capable of—and what we are being denied.
