Once upon a time in Mumbai, the city police was respected - not for their uniform, but for their impeccable public service in law & order maintenance. Kids loved dressing up as policemen in fancy dress parties, and invariably 1 out of 2 kids wanted to be a cop.
Not anymore!
The city is rampant with recklessness, lawlessness and total disregard for the spirit of Mumbai. Rickshaws ply with complete disregard to air-pollution, spewing thick cloud of exhaust in the already-choked city. Licenses are being granted to rickshaw based transport vehicles that emit loud sounds, two-stroke rickshaws continue to lead to maximum noise and air pollution.
Traffic signals are flouted, two-wheeler riders show no respect for the red-light, every other vehicle stops way beyond the stop line at signals, more often on the zebra crossing itself. Gone are the days, when the stop line was carefully watched and respected.
Garbage is dumped in the middle of roads attracting cows, signs warning of fines for such acts are put to shame. Cops are reduced to spineless, hapless individuals who appear helpless more than gutless.
Shanties are being spread where life-saver mangroves once existed opening the doors to catastrophic consequences witnessed during the July floods of 2005.
Politicians are defacing the city by splashing the ugly faces of themselves and their cronies, every light-pole, every corner now bears an ugly face of an politician trying to celebrate his, his wife's or his son's birthday. Their contribution to society is more words than action. Political class has clearly managed to find the elixir of winning inspite of the middle-class votes.
There's corruption on the streets, in police station, in government offices and just-about everywhere.
Water has disappeared from the taps, electricity bills are hitting the rooftops, grocery bills are sky-rocketing, yet the poorer section somehow seems to ride over this easily, but the tax-payers are being put through immense hardships.
Mumbai - is turning into UP/Bihar and no one can reverse it.
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