With civic elections nearing, in their last midnight gupshup session of 2025, our sutradhaars, Sir Pheroze and Lady Flora, discuss what they don’t wish to encounter, with the hope for a better 2026
Sir PM and Lady Flora at Cooperage Bandstand discussing the many wishes for their beloved city in the new year. Illustration/Uday Mohite
Lady Flora had noticed that Sir PM was wearing a light woollen suit on their last weekend session of the year. Both had picked Cooperage Bandstand to soak in the December ‘winter’ that was finally here. She seemed quite at ease in her off-white gown, and didn’t require any protection from the gentle nip in the air. English summers were chillier; she smiled at her inside observation but chose to not make her friend feel awkward, given his winter wardrobe had been assembled with great care. “What’s in the notebook?” she prodded.
Opening it with great excitement, Sir PM revealed, “Do you remember all those notes that I’d take after every walk, based on our observations and concerns? I’ve compiled it to make a formal presentation to my former bosses in the genuine hope that they take note of it, given that civic election dates have been announced; in fact, it’s barely a fortnight away. Our soon-to-be-elected corporators ought to be reading this…”
“Aren’t you being a shade ambitious, dear Pheroze?” the ever-pragmatic Lady Flora asked, gently, lest her friend didn’t feel punctured after his gigantic effort to document some of the key issues that plague the city.
“Not at all; in fact, I feel they will be inclined to look into these matters. Let me share a few pointers. It’s a working list, leaving room for further improvements.” They found a comfortable bench, and sipped on their favourite mint tea, as Sir PM began to share his notes.
Smooth roads: The citizen deserves a better deal after a back-breaking, spine-numbing 2026. Whether they travelled in a BMW or in a BEST bus, the result was the same. Good reads were unnecessarily re-done; concreted roads were re-concreted, while footpaths along high-rises were transformed into marble-topped ramps for luxury cars to zoom over. Why cannot we have our basic rights to well-built, broad roads for pedestrians and commuters?
Fewer JCBs: It was bad enough that we had to negotiate all versions of dug-up roads; we also spotted a permanent feature on it – the JCB. The sight of it spelt trouble – of a new construction on the horizon. Kids must be more familiar with the full form of JCB than interpreting ABC.
Green, green grass of home: We’ve read disheartening and disturbing reports, in this newspaper almost every month, of trees going under the axe for various infrastructure projects. The promise to reforest these trees must be supervised given that we are already facing the wrath of climate change. We saw how the rain gods overstayed their time last year, and were at their unpredictable best. What more is needed to make these civic gods, and soon-to-be-elected netas, create and execute strong environmental policies to safeguard our fragile green cover?
Don’t forget the middle-class Mumbaikar: From crowded trains and buses, insufficient metro services, exorbitant tolls and longer commute hours to sky-high rentals and unaffordable housing, we would like to see improved quality of life for this oft-neglected but large population who toil hard for their families. The city seems to fail them time and again with more hardships and less returns.
The BEST idea: I’ve been concerned about the fleet of this silent means of transport that ferries people. It needs upgrades at several levels, given the numbers that use it. There is also the plight of the double decker. It would be a shame if we cannot revive it to its past glory.
Respect the OG city: With redevelopment being the flavour for several seasons now, will the character of the original city also get wiped out? On several occasions in this column, we cried hoarse, about the plight of Art Deco, Gothic, Victorian-styled structures, as well as buildings in the vernacular style, as they faced the music. From Girgaum to Matunga, Ghatkopar and Malad, buildings of a certain vintage have been phased without any effort to restore it rather than opting for outright redevelopment. The fear is that soon, we will mirror ‘smart city-type townships made of concrete, glass and other uninspiring elements, robbing it of its historicity. Many of our northern suburbs, for that matter, are beginning to look like that when one drives down the two vertical express highways.
Lady Flora shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “Pheroze, you’ve touched upon all the key points; all raw nerves, actually, in this convincing dossier. I hope your former bosses study it closely. I’ll be happy to accompany you to add my two-bit, if that’s okay with you…”
Sir PM smiled, “Of course, we’ll do this together. This is our project. We are the voices of our dear citizens. I’m feeling upbeat that we have a good chance. But while we will do our bit, I hope the diligent Bombaywallah/Mumbaikar doesn’t forget to question these netas when they come begging for their votes. They must insist that such issues are part of their manifestos. And later, if they win, ensure that their promises are kept. That is the true power of democracy, My Lady.”
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her.
She tweets @bombayana. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
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