If politicians are allegedly auctioning public space to the highest bidder, this should be legalised for our betterment
Hawkers at Ghatkopar West have brazenly taken over almost the entire footpath, leaving a sliver of space for pedestrians to walk on. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
The story I refer to in this column occupied our collective attention for a couple of hours before fizzling out, the way all such stories do in countries where rules are only meant for those who can’t afford to break them. Apparently, the leader of a political party in Mulund was accused of selling part of a public footpath to the owner of a fast-food stall. What complicated this otherwise smooth transaction was the fact that the space had already been rented out to someone else. The vendor was angry, which is the only reason this got out. The reason it didn’t capture everyone’s attention the way more important issues — the renaming of a railway station, for instance — usually do, was the absence of surprise.
Everyone knows footpaths aren’t meant for the common man. In fact, there is very little meant for the common man, despite everything advertised by the government. Sure, there are new roads and metros, but the intent with which they are constructed should tell us everything we need to know. When something is done with the benefit of citizens in mind, it tends to last because of good intentions. It’s why that photograph of steps built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj outside the Raigad Fort in 1656 went viral a couple of years ago. They were juxtaposed against steps built by the government of Maharashtra in 2013, and the difference was revelatory.
It’s also why I think we should give up the pretence of footpaths being made for citizens once and for all. In all my years in Bombay (and there have been many), I have yet to walk a footpath that didn’t disappoint, anger, or put me at risk. Some have had open gutters, others have caved in on account of broken manhole covers, some have broken tiles that threaten every child and senior citizen, and I don’t need to talk about encroachment because that is as much a part of life as the poor quality of air in all Indian cities. Footpaths are not meant for us to walk on; they are simply spaces to be bought and sold so someone, somewhere, can earn off them. This isn’t true in countries poorer than India, but to point that out may prompt someone to mention Pakistan, so why bother?
When I read that story about the rented footpath, it included a comment by an advocate from the High Court, who pointed out that civic officers were turning a blind eye to what he referred to as a criminal offence. Accountability has vanished, he declared, which prompted me to believe he was not a resident of the city. Only an outsider would notice the absence of accountability that everyone who lives in Bombay accepts as part of life.
My belief is that the sooner we legalise this buying and selling of public spaces, the better it will be for us all. Imagine an online action, for instance, where local corporators can allocate lucrative street corners to the highest bidders. If this system is allowed to scale, it will also allow more than one or two businessmen to take over our airports or forest lands. Perhaps groups of citizens may be able to pool in resources and bid for leopards and elephants too, given that this is currently allowed only to a couple of Indians. Who wouldn’t want an elephant in their backyard?
It may be hard to implement this system, of course, because it lays bare the lie that taxes are being used for the greater good. If everyone knows that public spaces are a sham, it may be harder than it already is to justify what we are getting for the taxes we pay. It may be harder for the government to explain why the streets of Bangkok have no potholes despite that country’s GDP being lower than the GDP of Bombay alone. This is where propaganda can be used for good, though. After all, of what use are compromised media houses and PR agents masquerading as journalists if not to gently coerce us into seeing that the line between public and private assets should be blurry?
I foresee a future where footpaths are sponsored, and where anyone with money to spare can rent space to sell vada pav for a few hours. It may be inconvenient for those without money or cars, but we should ask ourselves if those are the kinds of people we want in a city of bright lights and endless promise.
When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
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