As Mumbaikars were tempted to reach for their scuba diving gear on Monday, one of the most debated aspects of the deluge was the flooding of Worli’s Acharya Atre Chowk station on the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line amid the Mumbai rains that dominated on monday morning
Vidyadhar Date, transport analyst
As Mumbaikars were tempted to reach for their scuba diving gear on Monday, one of the most debated aspects of the deluge was the flooding of Worli’s Acharya Atre Chowk station on the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line.
While ‘putting the aqua in Aqua Line’ was trending through the day, with pictures and videos of a submerged station whirring frantically on social media, transport analyst Vidyadhar Date said, “We have been talking repeatedly about increasing BEST [Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport] buses and now the failure at the Metro station gives this more stridency.”
Lack of understanding
Date, who is convenor of the self-explanatory ‘Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST’ (AMAB), a citizens forum pushing for a decent bus transport arm for the city, stated first up, “This is not about one service trying to one-up the other. It is important to highlight that there is a lack of understanding about what our real transport needs are.”
Date said that there needs to be “more investment in our bus transport arm so that there are many more buses on the road and commuters do have that option. Instead, we see a concentration on automobile owners and more cars on the roads, too.”
Posh but dysfunctional?
Date stated, “A summer downpour showed us that water inundated the Metro station. There may also be a fear of electrocution. I have been hearing all this tall talk about the Metro, but the Acharya Atre Chowk station naturally had to be closed yesterday. That is why it is vital to look at the BEST, for it surely has better connectivity than the Metro. So many people are arguing about the Metro service being ‘soooo posh’ when it comes to other services, but what is the use of ‘posh’ when it is not working?”
Date did concede that BEST buses, too, may break down during the rains. “Yet these are fewer and far between, compared to other transport modes,” he added. Like the three Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle — which are used as a conservation mantra for the environment, our BEST buses also have three Rs, especially during crises — resolute, resilient and reliable. These are the qualities that the BEST had, ploughing through our flooded roads, slowly but defiantly, taking the commuters to their destination,” said Date and added, “There is one more R – Real. I say this is the real lifeline of Mumbai.”
To the rescue
Date reminded that the BEST transport arm, “has come to the rescue during monsoon. It was the public transport service plying regularly during COVID times. Today, we have both an early monsoon and we hear about rising COVID cases, though I do not want to cause any alarm. This was the service that played saviour during the most challenging times. Yet, I do not understand why it does not figure in the imagination of our city planners.”
Date said, “Singapore, Hong Kong and London continue investing in the bus system, though they too have cars. Today, the monsoon is already upon us, and one day has shown us how we need a complete overhaul in thinking about city transport. Breakdowns, stalled traffic and flooded tracks, shut down Metro stations have a lesson for us. The bus is not infallible, but in the worst of times, we could turn to the BEST.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
