Posted by Vince Wadhwani on Mar 07, 2006

I've been coming to Bombay about 3 or 4 times a year since 2001. In that time not much had changed. Every once in a while a new building would go up but for the most part the status quo was the norm.

This year, however, changes are afoot.

I don't know what the cause is, whether it is just more international scrutiny on India itself, or if Mumbai has a new mayor. But whatever the reason, improvements are underway throughout the city.

From Andheri to Cuffe Parade, roads are being torn up and illegal stalls are being torn down. The plan is to widen the roads but there is also apparently talk about putting in a subway system. Sidewalks are being swept and there is even a new look to the immigration area at the airport.

For the most part I am pleasantly surprised by the changes but I can't help but feel sad about the loss of some of those stores. Sure they encroached on the roads but at the end of the day they provided both jobs and continuity for many families. Those families can't afford to buy property for their small stores, but the larger retailers can.

In effect it will spell the end for many of the independent shops that have long been a part of Mumbai (and many other parts of India). It's too soon to tell how many will go but I hope that enough remain to provide good services to the Mumbakars else the chains will come in, take all the business, and the city's soul with it.

My other concern is with the poor. They are being displaced in record numbers now so that Mumbai's appearance will compare more closely with Shanghai. Somehow government must find a home for these people. It cannot simply sweep them away with the trash.

The funding for the clean-up has come from International sources like the Japanese and Canadians. I'm sure that part of the speed in which these roads are being dug up has to do with the end of March fiscal year. Let's hope that the city has the guts to finish what it started but also the heart to take care of those inconvenienced.