Mumbai: When she first came to Mumbai (then Bombay) as a young girl in 1985, she was afraid of traveling in local trains. Ashwini Bhide, 55, managing director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) and additional chief secretary of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), has come a long way since then.
After recovering from that first disappointing experience, a series of events began that prepared him for the task of transforming Mumbai. As time passed and she moved towards the city, she realized that change was the order of the day in a city that was on the cusp of transition. In the early 2000s, he assumed power to drive this change. Among many projects, the recently inaugurated Aqua Line of Mumbai Metro is a milestone in his achievement.
In an independent interview, Bhide talked about his association with City of Dreams and his thoughts on its transformation.
Part:
Aqua Line, Mumbai’s first underground mode of public transport, has become the talk of the town. Are you happy with how it’s shaped up, since it was your baby?
I am very happy. In fact, I traveled in Metro-3 earlier this week from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), which is closest to my house, to the Science Center and back. I have an employee card but my husband uses the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). I saw how easily people were traveling – from senior citizens to pregnant women and children. Even people in rural areas were using this service seamlessly. There was happiness on everyone’s faces.
Our hard work of a decade paid off. This metro line is a valuable addition to the overall transport infrastructure of Mumbai.
Did people recognize you when you traveled as a frequent traveler? Did you like the attention?
I think some of them might have done that. But no, I don’t like attention (laughs).
CSMT connects the public transport of old and new Mumbai. How did it feel to connect a building built in 1888 to a piece of modern transportation?
CSMT is, without a doubt, symbolic – the building is an inspiration for how structures are carefully built to last over a period of time – dating back over a century.
Now, we have built something that is equal to the old building; It should serve the people with the same intensity. People now have the railway system available to take them beyond CSMT and Churchgate stations.
A decade ago, environmentalists and a section of Mumbaikars had strongly opposed the Metro-3 project. Now a good number of people are coming on this line. How do you see this change?
The change was expected – there’s a reason we insisted on a car depot for this line in Aare; Anyone who understands engineering and transportation would agree. Relocating the car depot would have been viable only if the length of the corridor was increased. But there is still something called optimal length for a corridor, which means you cannot build 50 or 100 kilometers of metro lines in a single stretch. From that point of view, it was the ideal length for an underground metro route and car depot for which government land was available.
We knew at that time that people would eventually understand the merits of the underground corridor. So, I continued my fight. This was a transformative and important project for Mumbai, one that you need to stay invested in.
At that time I put myself in the place of those who would benefit from this line after 20 or 30 years. The ridership is increasing slowly but this line has the capacity to carry 17 lakh passengers every day.
Did you have a mental map of alignment when you envisioned the project?
I remember traveling the entire corridor with the team to understand the alignment. It was important to identify entry and exit points so that movement of people was easy and the roads were not crowded. This is why most stations have more than four entry and exit points.
At that time there were plans to also connect Dadar and Churchgate metro stations with the respective suburban railway stations. However, to reduce costs and save trees, we opted to take it up at a later stage.
Did you take any inspiration from the plans made by PG Patankar (an Indian Railways engineer, who later headed BEST) for underground metro alignments in the 1950s-60s?
This underground corridor is partly similar to what was proposed for Mumbai in the 1960s. At that time this corridor extended from South Mumbai to Bandra. I have seen the plan, which outlined how much it would cost 4 crore per kilometre, which was a big order at that time. The need for an underground metro to transform the city was understood and imagined long ago.
Milestones and boards were installed in Matunga to inform people about such underground lines.
So, yes, the idea was there, discussions were going on but somehow it didn’t work out at that time. One of the most important reasons is that Mumbai was already served by very strong and efficient suburban trains. Indian Railways is trying to separate suburban and main lines. The current plan made for the metro rail is such that it marries the suburban rail system.
Are you seeing people moving from locals to the metro?
About 1 million passengers travel on Mumbai’s metro trains, which also include the monorail. Currently, 100 km metro network (Line 1, 2A, 3, 7 and Monorail) is operational. We will see a gradual change by 2035-40 when the metro rail corridors are fully operational, by which time we can expect ridership to reach 10 million, while suburban trains will decline to 5 million.
For years, Mumbai has been identified with Bollywood, underworld and politics. Now, massive infrastructure projects worth crores of rupees are redefining the city. How do you see this change? Are there other countries/cities globally that are growing at this pace?
Most cities in Western countries and some Asian countries have matured. They added such infrastructure in the 19th and 20th centuries. So in modern times I don’t think any other city is focusing as much on infrastructure as Mumbai, which is probably second only to China. We have created 5 lakh square meters of space under Mumbai through the tunnels and stations of Metro-3.
What was your first impression about this city when you first came here?
After standing 22nd in the state board exams, I came to Mumbai in 1985 to attend a felicitation function at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. We lived in a small town called Jaysingpur in Kolhapur district, where my father was posted. He worked for the State Bank of India.
Till then we had only heard about Mumbai as a big and scary city. We stayed at my uncle’s house in Dombivali; And the journey from there to the city by local train was really scary. I couldn’t imagine traveling in a crowded train or ever returning to Mumbai. Mumbai was scary; It made you feel very small.
How did your relationship with the city evolve later?
I came here in 1993 to give my UPSC Prelims, which I failed to clear. I returned to the State Institute for Administrative Careers (SIAC) for a few months the following year, and stayed in the Savitri Bai Phule hostel in Charni Road, which is now being redeveloped. While most of my time was spent studying, I also managed to explore the city. I took buses and trains with my hostel partner. I remember traveling from Thane to Vile Parle, which involved taking multi-mode transport like buses and trains. It was a far cry from the quiet life in our small town.
Since we were staying in Marine Drive, I also experienced the full power of Ganeshotsav. Visits to Malabar Hill, Hanging Gardens, Dadar Chowpatty etc. gradually took me to Mumbai.
And your relationship with the city grew even deeper during your career as a civil servant.
I kept coming to the city from time to time. Initially, after being selected for Maharashtra cadre, I came for a 15-day ministry attachment during training. During my posting as CEO of Sindhudurg Zilla Parishad, I returned frequently, as the headquarters was Mumbai.
Coming here was a big hassle, especially the train journey and staying in guest houses, where the living conditions were very bad. I chose to return to base the same evening I arrived.
All these experiences must have influenced the work I did on Mumbai’s transport infrastructure. I never imagined that I would get such a promising position.
Your next big stint in Mumbai started in 2003 when you started living here.
I was appointed to the ministry – first as Deputy Secretary, and then as Joint Secretary to the Governor. My husband was also posted as Joint Commissioner in the Ministry and then in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
We lived well in a big house. My daughter was young and my son was about to arrive. We got a lot of help and support from all around. Five years passed like this.
How did your perception of Mumbai evolve during this period?
As a family, we started getting to know the city more. We had a small car, a Maruti 800, which we later upgraded to an Indica. Since I was from Sangli and my husband was from Satara, we would come back home whenever we got the chance and use different roads on the way which were not crowded and the traffic was disciplined.
He was then posted to Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2008.
When I was given charge of the department, I was still aware of the developing infrastructure of Mumbai. Until the Bandra Worli Sea Link opened in 2009, I used Tulsi Pipe Road to reach Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). It was like a breath of fresh air, and shows how much of a difference good infrastructure and connectivity can make to our lives.
During this stint, I traveled to different parts of Mumbai and understood its geography. I understood the issues troubling the city – east-west connectivity, the need for railway crossings, the huge task of rehabilitation, traffic management and coordination between various agencies.
The period from 2008 to 2014 was a time of intense learning at MMRDA. I deeply understood the bottlenecks in the system and had ample opportunity to experiment and solve these issues. Keeping development in mind, policy changes were made and political support was achieved.
Those years instilled in me the belief that no project is impossible.
How have you seen Mumbai changing?
Mumbai has changed in many ways due to endless infrastructure upgrades. At first, the focus was on road infrastructure. The Western and Eastern Expressways were realized a little before my time. Then came the flyovers on the expressway, Milan ROB, Barfiwala flyover, Ambedkar flyover, all railway overbridges, Sahar elevated road and the Eastern Freeway.
MMRDA was also involved in the revival and beautification of Marine Drive. When I was in BMC, I also got a chance to work on the coastal road.
What’s next for you?
Well, Line 11 is currently on plan like other metro lines. I am also overseeing many other projects in the Chief Minister’s Office. We are providing all possible help in the construction of the coastal road in the north, the Worli-Sivri connector is operational, the Orange Gate tunnel and the Thane-Mulund tunnel will also help a lot in reducing traffic.
A new airport has been built, the third and fourth are being built in Mumbai. Wadhawan port will be another gamechanger. Recently a vision document was released for Maharashtra. I am seeing Mumbai changing in front of me.
The city’s attitude towards such large infrastructure projects seems to have changed.
Definitely. People and agencies no longer shy away from large projects, funding can be arranged, which were then major hurdles. But Mumbai’s main transformation will come from the completion of the entire metro system, which will take four to five years. This will make all the difference.
