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 estateWith Thanes growth came a boom in the populace which until the balance is struck could cause further duress to the infrastructure The secondlargest 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 spacesPopulation boom and traffic woesKasber Augustine the President of Thane Citizens Foundation told midday 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 timeconsuming 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 areaSneha Singh an activist based in Thane too chimed in saying that the traffic in the city is one of its major issuesThane has many infrastructural issues plaguing the city and traffic congestion is one of the important ones The congestion in MajiwadaKapurbawdi junction is so bad that it takes roughly around 3060 minutes to cross the 500metre stretch of the road Singh saidSingh 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 trafficSingh added that despite having a huge pedestrian population in Thane footpaths are neglectedEncroachments plague city roadsWhen 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 cityThe 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 slowmoving traffic he notedHe 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 brokenParking predicamentAugustine 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 denoteTheres a lack of parking space in the city The civic administration has declared every other street a noparking 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 questionedParks in perilAmid 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 conditionSneha Singh told midday 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 amenitiesSingh pointed out that the issue is caused by the absence of a mechanism to verify the condition of these spacesOften 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 gardenAugustine 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 maintenanceThe grounds given to private contractors for maintenance are inaccessible for those from lowincome backgrounds since they cannot pay the money the contractors take to let them play Dont they deserve to play too he askedFunding dilemmaSingh 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 itSingh who is also an Urban Planner said that one of the hurdles in the argumentation of infrastructure is the lack of fundingThe 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 budgetBalancing competing agendas and ensuring optimal resource allocation across many departments is difficultA path forward for ThaneSingh suggested that the future development of Thane city should be inclined towards community developmentThe civic authorities should study areabased 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 saidSingh and Augustine noted that the civic administration should encourage public participationHarking back to issues about encroachment Augustine said the TMC should create a spaceeither leased or building a new placefrom where the hawkers can operate in the cityThere is enormous potential for not merely improvement but even comprehensive reform across Thane assuming that the authorities have the will to implement change Singh quippedThe citybased urban planner stated that the Thane Municipal Corporation TMC can take minor initiatives to begin this transitionBy 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 lowincome communities This imbalance can be remedied by distributing finances and resources fairly throughout the wards Singh saidFinally 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