Thane's civic pains: Traffic snarls, parking woes & neglected green spaces

Once a quiet satellite city near Mumbai, Thane has undergone significant changes over the years, especially in the last decade. The growth has come about due to the development plans undertaken including the development of real estate. With Thanes growth came a boom in the populace which, until the balance is struck, could cause further duress to the infrastructure. The second-largest city of Maharashtra and Chief Minister Eknath Shindes bastion faces its share of civic issues like infrastructure gaps, encroachments of roads, traffic congestion and lack of parking spaces. Population boom and traffic woes Kasber Augustine, the President of Thane Citizens Foundation, told mid-day that the citys population has increased by 100 per cent with estimatedly over 20 lakh residents living in the city. Augustine noted that with the citys growth, the increased traffic has become an issue. He pointed out that travelling within the city has become a time-consuming affair due to the traffic. If one has to travel to Mumbai by road, the majority of the travel time is spent in an attempt to go out of the city since theres traffic congestion at many points including at the toll plaza area. Sneha Singh, an activist based in Thane, too chimed in saying that the traffic in the city is one of its major issues. Thane has many infrastructural issues plaguing the city and traffic congestion is one of the important ones. The congestion in Majiwada-Kapurbawdi junction is so bad that it takes roughly around 30-60 minutes to cross the 500-metre stretch of the road, Singh said. Singh, who has founded an organisation viz. Thane Central Forum said that she and her team receive many complaints from citizens regarding the traffic congestion which is caused by the inability of the infrastructure to cater to the growing traffic. Singh added that despite having a huge pedestrian population in Thane, footpaths are neglected. Encroachments plague city roads When asked whether encroachments of roads and footpaths also contribute to the issue of traffic, Augustine pointed out that they pose a big problem to pedestrians; he added that the civic administration only bars hawking on major roads thereby prompting the hawkers to encroach spaces in arterial roads, gullies of the city. The traffic in areas like Jambhali Naka, Naupada etc are congested due to the hawkers encroaching the roads and footpaths which pose a problem for pedestrians (and motorists alike). Amid these congested roads, the administration is plying buses resulting in slow-moving traffic, he noted. He also mentioned that the issue of encroachment persists due to the nexus between hawkers, civic administration and other stakeholders and says it will thrive till it (the nexus) is broken. Parking predicament Augustine also pointed out that there are no parking spaces in the city. The activist says that the civic administration has christened every nook and corner as no parking zone which makes travelling cumbersome. He said that there are no signages to denote. Theres a lack of parking space in the city. The civic administration has declared every other street a no-parking zone. The missing or concealed signages denoting it only add to the mix. How can a person keep paying Rs 500 every time the traffic department tows the vehicle, he questioned. Parks in peril Amid the aggravation of negotiating the citys maze, citizens turn to green spaces as a solution to their urban concerns. However, they have no respite there since the public parks and gardens in the city are in a pathetic condition. Sneha Singh told mid-day that almost all parks or gardens in Thane city were in bad shape when asked about the challenges the administration could likely be facing in the upkeep of civic amenities. Singh pointed out that the issue is caused by the absence of a mechanism to verify the condition of these spaces. Often it has been observed that private contractors are hired to maintain these parks and gardens but they do not keep the spaces in good condition which inconveniences the locals, she noted and added, The ratio between citizens residing in the city and the size of gardens are not proportionate. In some places, there is adequate public space while others dont even have a garden. Augustine too noted that there are not many playgrounds for children to play or engage in sporty activities. He pointed out that the few grounds as such are either inaccessible due to financial constraints or due to poor maintenance. The grounds given to private contractors for maintenance are inaccessible for those from low-income backgrounds since they cannot pay the money the contractors take to let them play. Dont they deserve to play too, he asked. Funding dilemma Singh and Augustine, responding to a question on TMCs work, noted that barring a handful of key infrastructural issues, the civic body is doing good work and trying to continue with it. Singh, who is also an Urban Planner, said that one of the hurdles in the argumentation of infrastructure is the lack of funding. The TMC has limited revenue sources as it is primarily dependent on property taxes, and state government grants. And the limited diversification of its income stream adds to the issue. Meanwhile, maintaining the existing infrastructure and providing services consumes a portion of its budget. Balancing competing agendas and ensuring optimal resource allocation across many departments is difficult. A path forward for Thane Singh suggested that the future development of Thane city should be inclined towards community development. The civic authorities should study area-based data analysis and identify the needs of the area. The Thane Municipal Corporation should work towards improving the road infrastructure, including widening of footpaths, to accommodate everyone and urban planners should decide on changes after having consulted Residents Welfare Associations, Singh said. Singh and Augustine noted that the civic administration should encourage public participation. Harking back to issues about encroachment, Augustine said, the TMC should create a space--either leased or building a new place--from where the hawkers can operate in the city. There is enormous potential for not merely improvement but even comprehensive reform across Thane, assuming that the authorities have the will to implement change, Singh quipped. The city-based urban planner stated that the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) can take minor initiatives to begin this transition. By engaging with and accepting the concerns highlighted by Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and Resident Forums, the TMC can obtain vital insights into the communitys needs and wishes. Secondly, the focus must be distributed equally among Thane citys wards. Currently, certain TMC officials prioritise affluent areas while ignoring the basic needs of middle and low-income communities. This imbalance can be remedied by distributing finances and resources fairly throughout the wards, Singh said. Finally, amending Thanes Development Plan is an important step towards bringing about change. The development plan for the next two decades was presented in 2002 and has expired in 2022. However, two years on, the authorities are still silent on a new proposal. This delay is a serious impediment to Thanes progress and must be solved immediately to steer the city towards a brighter future, Singh added.