Art & Entertainment

Ab Nai Chalega! Celebrities Talk About What Needs To Change In Mumbai

People consider Mumbai to be quite welcoming and people are usually very nice to outsiders, but still a city can always keep evolving from looking at others. Celebs speak up about the things that feel needs to change in the city of Mumbai, which would make it an even better place to live.

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Anjali Phougat, Rajniesh Duggal, Shubhangi Atre
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Mumbai's motto has always been 'Chalta Hai' and so far it was working just fine, or so we thought! People are considered to be less picky here and more welcoming. However, there are many things in Mumbai where this 'Chalta hai' phenomenon is not working anymore.

Celebs talk about how certain things can be improved in the city of Mumbai so that it can be an even better haven for people.

Sumit Kaul

Despite the highest tax collections, Mumbai has consistently been treated poorly by its elected representatives. With unending traffic woes and terrible roads, the apathy of the political class has tested the patience of Mumbaikars to the hilt. It’s claimed that we have one of the world's most corrupt municipal corporations. I’m not sure how true that is but with the conditions we have, it’s not difficult to believe. As someone who was born and brought up here, I have never imagined a life outside of Mumbai, but in the last couple of years, I have given it some consideration.

Shubhangi Atre

Mumbai has its strengths for sure but it’s well past time to gloat about them and comfort ourselves with ‘chalta hai’. For years, articles have been written lamenting that the city is bursting at the seams but in the last couple of years, I can actually feel this happening. The extreme pressure on the city’s amenities is causing it to crumble and collapsing bridges are but symptoms of the malaise. From hereon, either the city wakes up to reality and, to borrow corporate jargon, fixes things on a ‘war footing’ or it crumbles some more and loses its vaunted status as a commercial hub. For, if buildings are charred and traffic can’t move, just how do you do business anymore?

Shaan Mishra

In Mumbai Chalta Hai attitude exists for many things including traffic and pollution. The air is polluted and still a lot of people don’t get their car PUC checked timely. There should be strict checking and also there are very less plants and trees compared to other cities. This needs to be addressed for better quality of air. Good oxygen and air is the need of the hour.

Rajniesh Duggal

The roads, infrastructure and traffic are the biggest problems. The road that connects to other states like when you go towards Gujarat the bridge on the Vasai creek that has been in construction for the last 10 years. Also, the pothole situation needs to be sorted out as people die every year due to potholes. This attitude of Chalta hai should not be entertained. The city has welcomed people from different states, cities or countries irrespective of where you belong and that’s the way it should be, people should not be biased against other communities and that’s what Mumbai is all about; energy and vibes. The negative factors are being overshadowed which we should focus on and I feel our Hon’ble CM Shri. Eknath Shinde will focus on the betterment.

Anjali Phougat

I think equality is extremely important. Rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer should not happen. Everyone should get equal opportunities to work and get paid equally regardless of age, gender, or race. So at least everyone can maintain basic living standards. House and property prices are increasing but labour-class people get paid really low which feels truly unfair because they also have families to raise. Equality and women's respect/safety are two things that must be implemented so everyone can live fearlessly and stress-free. Also, the government should take action to implement strict rules to make life easy in big cities such as Mumbai.

Hiten Paintal

Being born and brought up in Mumbai and obviously staying here all my life, the Chalta attitude I think a human actually kind of gets used to. Mumbai has such a vibrant life and nobody has time for anything at all, everyone's in a hurry to finish something and then move on to the next thing. I absolutely will not say hate because hate is a very big word, I absolutely dislike the condition of the roads. It is funny and it is frustrating that you have to travel 10 kilometers and it takes you like an hour and a half. If you go from Andheri to Bandra, you're spending an hour and a half and it's all because of the traffic conditions. I understand that the metro is being made and because of that, there are a lot of traffic issues but what is also happening is that the conditions of the road are not good. I make this joke all the time 'Arey dekho Gaddho Ke Bich Me Sadak Hain', which is such a wrong thing, but the government needs to do something. Every year, in the rains, they fix it, they will cover the potholes and three days later, those same potholes are there. This Chalta hai attitude cannot work anymore. This needs to stop. The government needs to do something

Shehzad Shaikh

Construction is happening all over the city even on roads. The work keeps going throughout the year which leads to massive traffic jams and increases our travel time from one place to another. Bad roads and traffic is a big issue and need to be addressed at the earliest. ‘We assume traffic to milega hi!’ And that makes things more complicated.