Bridged in Risk: Analysing Infra Projects in Mumbai

By Ramprasad Mahurkar, TYBA

Mumbai recently launched two key infrastructure projects: the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) and the Coastal Road. Both aim to boost economic growth by improving connectivity. Economic elites and bureaucrats drive these changes, aligning with the human-machine typology in technological society, where humans push development while infrastructure acts as the machine.

 

The MTHL is expected to cut travel time from Sewri to Chirle to 15-20 minutes, boost tourism, and increase real estate prices. State GDP is projected to rise by 5%, while national GDP may grow by 1% (Ojha, 2024). Similarly, the Coastal Road will reduce travel time by 70%, cut fuel consumption by 34%, and create 70 hectares of green spaces (Jha, 2024). However, these benefits come at a cost, putting pressure on Mumbai’s ecosystems and sparking conflict between urban growth and environmental conservation.

 

Conservationists are sceptical of development projects like the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL). Though it received environmental clearances with a commitment to avoid wetland damage, activists reported wetland destruction shortly after its 2024 inauguration (Nayak, 2024). The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) allocated ₹136 crores to mitigate environmental impacts, but concerns about air quality persist (Chatterjee, 2020; The Environmental Impact of the MTHL Project, 2024). This highlights the disconnect between development and sustainability. Historically, development was unconscious and aimed at mobility during colonial times but later shifted to a more structured approach to progress (Ellul, 1964; Raybaut, A., 2021).

 

However, the idea that earlier social progress was unconscious is less convincing when examined historically. From the Mauryan period onward, Mumbai rulers appeared to have an implicit understanding of social growth. With the onset of colonialism, this growth became more deliberate as colonial powers sought to connect the seven islands and demonstrate their strength to rival nations in the region. Continuous land reclamation and urban expansion were central to their policies (Riding, 2018) and have persisted until today (Perur, 2016). Today, the elite's focus on further reclamation for projects like the Coastal Road underscores how technological and social progress concepts have significantly evolved.

 

Ultimately, Mumbai faces a chicken-and-egg paradox. A severe disjunction exists between sustainable development—not harming the environment—and infrastructure development, which remains anthropocentric in its approach. Development does not merely produce the city; the town generates this unprecedented development idea. This mindset has led to significant advancements that endanger estuarine habitats, making restoration impossible (Kennish, 2002). This situation reflects not the city's population but the managerial elites who, inspired by the aspirations drawn from the case of New York City, execute schemes that prioritise growth over sustainability (Rathod, 2024).

 

While the elite perspective on development may seem detached, voices advocate for local empowerment in beautifying the Mumbai port (Rebello, 2019). This perspective encourages breaking away from siloed operations and fostering collaboration between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the port trust. However, such collaboration is often obstructed by conflicts of interest, reducing this idea to little more than a goal statement that may or may not be implemented, depending on the priorities of these bodies.

Moreover, environmental conservation is rarely visible in developmental policy. A notable exception is the establishment of the Thane Flamingo Sanctuary by the Thane Municipal Corporation, the government, and the Forest Department (D'Monte, 2018). Yet, this initiative remains anthropocentric, as evidenced by the National Wildlife Board's approval to lay additional power lines near the sanctuary (Arora-Desai, 2023). This decision suggests a lack of guidelines to insulate power lines, posing a direct threat to bird populations. Activists have criticised the uninsulated power lines, noting that the number of insulated lines is insufficient and ongoing developments further threaten avian habitats. In addition, the expansion of power lines near critical bird habitats, such as Uran and Sewri  (the start point of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link) —adjacent to the upcoming airport—exacerbates this issue. Although power lines are essential for electricity transmission, they could be implemented more sustainably. Bird strikes have not decreased even with the introduction of bird diverter technology, indicating a persistent problem.

From an analytical perspective, the increasing development and partial compliance with environmental policies illustrate the hegemonic mechanisation of infrastructure. This hegemony inhibits officials from creating insulated power lines, with the mere establishment of a sanctuary perceived as sufficient for sustainability. This mechanisation stems from a limited understanding of designing environmentally sustainable infrastructure.

 

Environmental conservation involves a highly mechanised development process when in the hands of elites. First, activism leads to the formation of a sanctuary. Then, the sanctuary leads to further development around it, ultimately resulting in selective compliance. This cycle highlights the pitfalls that emerge from this implementation pattern.

Interpreting sociologist Jacques Ellul's perspective (Ellul, 1964) the technique has become autonomous, dismissing tradition and focusing solely on mechanised ideas. As a result, the model for infrastructure development resembles the standardisation of the American highway aesthetic, prioritising uniformity over local traditions. In this context, tradition involves considering the eco-centric aspect of sustainable development, which signifies minimal conflicts with nature and a state of human-nature coexistence. However, Ellul critiques the sciences, suggesting tradition and technique are fundamentally opposed. Environmental activists often critique this short-sighted technological advancement. In practice, however, the methods and traditions can be strategically interwoven. For instance, underground power lines are preferred to prevent bird strikes. In this case, the tradition of coexistence is evident in regions where power lines have been buried, reducing bird fatalities and embodying a spirit of harmony with nature. This approach is predominantly observed in developed countries that prioritise wildlife interests first. On the other hand, in Mumbai, infrastructure has led to new roads, bridges, and more power lines risking birds. Until now, the critique seems digestible as a direct, perceivable linkage exists between the two objective phenomena.

In Mumbai, the correlation between increased infrastructure and bird strikes at the airport is evident (Press Trust of India, 2024; Cornwell & Jamkhandikar, 2024). This correlation can be traced back to power lines and habitat destruction, which have intensified with the mushrooming of infrastructure development. However, surface—level conservation is normalised—establishing sanctuaries while sanctioning power lines in the vicinity.  

Decision-making elites misunderstand the link between bird hits and power lines. When power lines are supposed to be sanctioned, the route is decided by the government agencies, but the advice of ecological experts is not factored in. The justification for power lines is framed as social welfare cloaked in sustainability. Legally, there are protections against animal harm under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which prohibits "hunting," encompassing the killing or poisoning of wild animals, even if involved in bird strikes. However, the clause is not applied as it is difficult to ascertain who should be punished. Here, the legal framework diverges from the technique, reflecting a disconnect from the tradition of human-nature coexistence. This situation highlights a discourse of compliance that aligns with a system that prioritises development, reflecting a breach in tradition.

Considering bird strikes as integral to this issue, the legal framework counters the anthropocentric development technique, where rationality plays a crucial role. Due to public discourse, the Aircraft Act of 1934 includes clauses for protecting public amenities. However, this technique creates a disconnect between legal interpretations. Section 11 of the Aircraft Act states that "Whoever wilfully flies any aircraft in such a manner as to cause danger to any person or property on land, water, or in the air shall be punishable by imprisonment for up to two years, or a fine of up to one crore rupees, or both." This clause does not explicitly include wild birds—like the flamingos in the Bombay bird-hit case—as property. In contrast, the Wildlife Protection Act classifies flamingos as government property under Schedule IV of wild animals. Therefore, if interpreted accordingly, a bird hit qualifies as destruction of government property.

Further complications arise when factoring in activists' observations that encroachments and power lines near the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary have forced birds to fly higher in the airport vicinity (Perinchery, 2024). Other claims suggest that the Deonar dumping ground near the airport attracts birds. The broader issue reveals how development techniques overshadow other considerations. If a one-size-fits-all approach did not govern infrastructure, bird strikes could be minimised. This implies that better methods could include clearing dumping grounds and undergrounding power lines rather than defaulting to aesthetic urban development and environmental conservation initiatives.

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