Thane's civic woes
9 February, 2024 | created using PDF Newspaper from FiveFilters.org
Thane’s civic pains: Traffic
snarls, parking woes &
neglected green spaces
Feb 8, 2024 06:08AM
The second-largest city of Maharashtra and Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde’s bastion faces its share of civic issues like
infrastructure gaps, encroachments of roads, traffic
congestion and lack of parking spaces.
Traffic congestion at pockets like Majiwada-Kapurbawdi
junction are usual/Sneha Singh
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 estate.
With Thane’s growth came a boom in the populace which, until the
balance is struck, could cause further duress to the infrastructure.
The second-largest city of Maharashtra and Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde’s bastion faces its share of civic issues like infrastructure
gaps, encroachments of roads, traffic congestion and lack of
parking spaces.
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Population boom and traffic woes
Kasber Augustine, the President of Thane Citizens Foundation,
told mid-day that the city’s population has increased by 100 per
cent with estimatedly over 20 lakh residents living in the city.
Augustine noted that with the city’s growth, the increased traffic
has become an issue. He pointed out that travelling within the city
has become a time-consuming 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 there’s traffic
congestion at many points including at the toll plaza area.”
Sneha Singh, an activist based in Thane, too chimed in saying that
the traffic in the city is one of its major issues.
“Thane has many infrastructural issues plaguing the city and
1
traffic congestion is one of the important ones. The congestion in
Majiwada-Kapurbawdi junction is so bad that it takes roughly
around 30–60 minutes to cross the 500-metre stretch of the road,”
Singh said.
Singh, 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 traffic.
Singh added that despite having a huge pedestrian population in
Thane, footpaths are neglected.
Encroachments plague city roads
When 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 city.
“The 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 slow-moving traffic,” he noted.
He 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 broken.
Parking predicament
Augustine 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
denote.
“There’s a lack of parking space in the city. The civic
administration has declared every other street a no-parking 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 questioned.
Parks in peril
Amid the aggravation of negotiating the city’s 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 condition”.
Sneha Singh told mid-day 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
amenities.
Singh pointed out that the issue is caused by the absence of a
mechanism to verify the condition of these spaces.
“Often 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 don’t even have a garden.”
Augustine 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 maintenance.
distributing finances and resources fairly throughout the wards,
Singh said.
Finally, amending Thane’s 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 Thane’s progress
and must be solved immediately to steer the city towards a
brighter future, Singh added.

“The grounds given to private contractors for maintenance are “Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels
inaccessible for those from low-income backgrounds since they
cannot pay the money the contractors take to let them play. Don’t
they deserve to play too,” he asked.

Funding dilemma
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Singh and Augustine, responding to a question on TMC’s work, latest news!” Click here!
noted that barring a handful of key infrastructural issues, the civic
body is doing good work and “trying” to continue with it.

Singh, who is also an Urban Planner, said that one of the hurdles
in the argumentation of infrastructure is the lack of funding.

The 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 budget.

Balancing competing agendas and ensuring optimal resource

allocation across many departments is difficult.

A path forward for Thane

Singh suggested that the future development of Thane city should

be inclined towards community development.

The civic authorities should study area-based 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
Resident’s Welfare Associations, Singh said.

Singh and Augustine noted that the civic administration should

encourage public participation.

Harking back to issues about encroachment, Augustine said, the

TMC should create a space–either leased or building a new
place–from where the hawkers can operate in the city.

There is enormous potential for not merely improvement but even

comprehensive reform across Thane, assuming that the authorities
have the “will” to implement change, Singh quipped.

The city-based urban planner stated that the Thane Municipal

Corporation (TMC) can take minor initiatives to begin this
transition.

“By engaging with and accepting the concerns highlighted by

Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and Resident Forums, the
TMC can obtain vital insights into the community’s needs and
wishes. Secondly, the focus must be distributed equally among
Thane city’s wards. Currently, certain TMC officials prioritise
affluent areas while ignoring the basic needs of middle and
low-income communities. This imbalance can be remedied by