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Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
SoBo braces for traffic surge as Coastal Road promenade awaits opening
MUMBAI: With the Coastal Road promenade ready – a date is yet to be set for its inauguration – residents along the coastal edge of South Mumbai anticipate a wave of traffic and parking issues in their neighbourhoods. To discuss ways to minimise these challenges, they met joint commissioner of police (traffic), Anil Kumbhare, on Thursday. Attending the meeting were the Breach Candy Residents' Forum (BCRF), Nepean Sea Road Citizens Forum (NRCF) and residents of Worli. Mumbai, India - June 15, 2025: People enjoying evening on the under construction promenade of Coastal Road, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) 'As soon as the Coastal Road promenade is thrown open to the public, and in future when the green spaces on the reclaimed land are ready, cars will flood our neighbourhood,' said Nigum Lakhani, BCRF member. 'There's already an acute lack of parking space.' The residents were, however, relieved to note that parking would not be allowed along the promenade, a challenge Marine Drive residents have been facing. 'The parking situation along the Coastal Road promenade will become clear as and when it opens. Right now, we have restricted parking, so that cars cannot stop there,' said Kumbhare. 'What is certain is that we will not allow parking along the new promenade. We have put signboards and issued notifications for this. Vehicles that break this rule will be fined.' The BCRF had another request for the traffic authorities, urging that they be allowed to park on land being vacated for work on the Coastal Road. They placed this demand before local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, on Thursday. Their request was turned down but, they said, they would persist. The residents pointed out that their parking woes were compounded by cars parked by Breach Candy doctors and patients visiting Candy Hospital. Worli residents too are bracing for a new flood of traffic. 'A few underpasses are planned for access to the Coastal Road promenade from Worli, so we expect this stretch to become a permanent feature on the Mumbai Darshan itinerary,' said Viren Shah, who lives in the area. 'People in cars will stop here randomly, to take selfies.' He also highlighted the problem of speeding cars on the Coastal Road, especially on Sunday mornings. Nepean Sea Road residents had a very different concern. 'We haven't been given access to the promenade, so there's no question of being affected by traffic heading for the Coastal Road promenade,' said Mukul Mehra, secretary, NRCF. 'We have requested access to the promenade but there's been no headway on this.' Earlier this month, the residents had urged the civic authorities to provide access through MSRDC land, behind Priyadarshini Park, along the coastline. Interestingly, this is the same land Breach Candy residents had identified for an additional exit towards Nepean Sea Road, hoping it would ease traffic flow through their neighbourhood. However, MSRDC has refused to allow the BMC to use their property.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
From Indian Army dreams to Mumbai roads, a bus conductor's story touches netizens
Life is made up of fleeting moments—a warm cup of chai, a stranger's smile, a memory that lingers. In the chaos of a city like Mumbai, where time rarely slows down, a kind gesture or familiar face can feel like magic. And sometimes, a man in a uniform, collecting tickets day after day, ends up becoming a silent thread in hundreds of lives. That man is Deepak Rajgire , who spent 33 years as a Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus conductor in Mumbai, and along the way, built a legacy not of money or medals, but of a heartfelt interview with Humans of Bombay , Deepak shared his touching story, a life of service, simple joys, and soulful connections. One of the moments that stayed with him forever was when a pregnant woman boarded his bus, and her father, trusting him completely, said, 'Please take care of her.' That single line made him feel like family. And that's what he became to so many of Mumbai's commuters over three decades: a familiar face, a kind heart, a part of their everyday journey wasn't always easy. Born in Belgaum, he dreamt of joining the Indian Army. At 18, he came to Bombay to chase that dream. But dreams cost money, and his family, his father a truck driver, his mother, a factory worker, simply didn't have enough. So he worked as a tailor, helper, salesman and made Rs 300 a month, scraping 1990, his life changed when he became a bus conductor. The Rs 3,000 salary brought stability, and soon, love followed. His aunt arranged his marriage to Kalpana. 'It was love at first sight,' he recalls with a smile. They spent Sundays at Chowpatty, shared laughter, and soon, raised a family together. In the rhythm of routes and responsibilities, years flew Deepak's job was never just about tickets and time. It was about people. He made friends in the unlikeliest of places, a regular commuter who one day called him 'masterji' and offered a cup of chai, a young boy dreaming of joining the army whose passion reminded Deepak of his own childhood dream. These moments stitched together the fabric of his life, one conversation, one smile at a Deepak retired this January at the age of 58, he didn't expect much. But life had a sweet surprise in store. His children, wanting to honour his years of service, rented a double-decker bus. They decorated it with balloons and old bus tickets, cut a cake, and took him on a 'Mumbai Darshan' tour, playing his favourite songs along the way. 'They made me feel like my life was special,' he said, his heart three decades, Deepak watched the city grow. He saw passengers cry quietly into their phones, laugh out loud with friends, share a snack, argue, nap, and dream. And through all of it, he came to a beautiful conclusion—no matter our differences, we are all passengers on the same bus, travelling together on this journey called life.
