Mumbai has long been known as a city of stark social inequality. Here, gleaming skyscrapers overlooking the Arabian Sea sit alongside windowless slums built over sewage ditches. The city is home to 90 Indian billionaires and more than six million slum dwellers—about 55 percent of the population of central Mumbai.
The first phase of Mumbai's coastal expressway, which connects the south and west of the city via the three-kilometer Bandra-Worli bridge. Photo: Divyakant Solanki / EPA
Now, a new symbol has been added to this contrast—the coastal highway, which critics call “the highway for the rich,” write The Guardian.
The highway was built on artificially reclaimed land in the Arabian Sea. It connects the north and south of the city and allows drivers to cover the distance in 10 minutes instead of 45 in the past. Part of the route runs through an underwater tunnel, the rest - on overpasses above the sea. For car owners, this was a real breakthrough: previously the average speed in Mumbai was about 8 km / h.
People on the waterfront promenade after it opened to the public in August last year. Photo: Nirmal G / Guardian
However, 64% of the city's residents use buses and commuter trains, which are so crowded that passengers often have to ride on the outside of the cars. Seven to ten people die on the city's rail network every day.
Environmental activist Avlokita Shah calls the project "exclusive for the elite": "Billions of rupees should be spent on developing public transport, repairing roads, increasing the number of buses, new routes and expanding the metro."
Pedestrians in one of the few underpasses created to provide access to the waterfront promenade for walkers, cyclists and runners. Photo: Nirmal G / Guardian
Architect and lecturer Hussain Indorewala calls the road “social welfare for the wealthy.” “It’s a massive transfer of resources to the rich and an additional cost for everyone else,” he says.
Investment banker Vivek Tiwari, on the other hand, is enthusiastic about the new infrastructure project: "It's great infrastructure. Yes, not everyone uses it, but maybe it stimulates economic growth, which will ultimately help everyone."
Drivers have welcomed the expressway because it cuts travel time to the city centre, but most Mumbai residents do not use cars. Photo: Nirmal G / Guardian
But for environmental anthropologist Nikhil Anand of the University of Pennsylvania, this logic is outdated: “It’s a 20th-century answer to a 21st-century problem. Urban highways have long proven to be inefficient—they create new demand for cars, increase congestion, and increase emissions.”
Threat to ecology and fishing communities
During construction, part of the mangroves, a natural barrier against flooding and erosion, was destroyed. Despite protests, the court allowed the felling of 45 mangrove trees for the second phase of the project.
The Koli fishing community, the indigenous inhabitants of the coast, are already feeling the effects: traditional fishing grounds have disappeared, catches have halved, and costs have increased. “When the road is completed, we will lose access to the sea. We will have to spend more time and fuel — and return with less catch,” says fisherman Deepak Namaposhe.
Construction of a new highway from the fishing village of Khar Dhanda. Photo: Nirmal G / Guardian
He is convinced that the liberated territories will be built up with elite residential complexes.
The coastal highway has opened up new land for developers. A so-called "Billionaires' Alley" is already taking shape along the Worli coast, with luxury apartments offering panoramic sea views.
The new coastal highway, seen from the coast near Chimbai Village and Jogger's Park in Bandra. The highway has made it difficult for many residents to access the beach. Photo: Nirmal G / Guardian
Meanwhile, ordinary residents have lost easy access to the coast. An eight-lane highway has separated the city from the ocean. There are pedestrian crossings, but they are few and inconvenient for people and for after-work walks.
Main photo: Nirmal G / The Guardian
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