Mumbai Discussions

[KuwarOnline]

u mean..... people from other countries come to mumbai for medical treatment??? is that... cause it cheap and good....

[IchimaruGin1]

Originally Posted by KuwarOnline

u mean..... people from other countries come to mumbai for medical treatment??? is that... cause it cheap and good....

yup....

[Indiadreams]

Again cost factor is a hindrance. It has to compete with cheaper cities - Chennai /Blore & NCR etc.

Though, I have seen many people coming to Shroff's eye hospital, Bandra, Lilavati etc. The cost is atleast 30% higher than Chennai & Blore, which attracts more medical tourists

[jeniferdesauza]

Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad attract many medical tourists for the complicated surgeries and other treatments. These major city hospitals in India cater a world class treatment with a comparatively cheap rate than their countries.

[IchimaruGin1]

took me two and a half hours to get from mulund to Worli

damn the traffic jam at suman junction on the eeh is killer

horrible roads.

[bharatiya]

thats why we need high congestion tax along with improved public transportation

[KuwarOnline]

Time to rethink the Mumbai Metropolitan Region

The metropolitan regions of Mumbai generally depend on the core city for its identity and economy. It could be differently designed and developed so the metropolitan region has a better economic activity and help depopulate Mumbai,
writes Mahesh Vijapurkar.
source http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/a...tan-region.htm

[IchimaruGin1]

^
well thats why they are developing bkc.

I dont see the point of this article. If anything the core of the city is slowly losing out to BKC andheri etc.

[Sughosh]

Originally Posted by IchimaruGin1

^
If anything the core of the city is slowly losing out to BKC andheri etc.

True, somewhat. The distribution of offices has improved considerably over the last decade or so, with BKC, Andheri, Goregaon, and now even Vikhroli (Godrej) emerging as fairly dense business districts. But honestly, there's a not insignificant amount of corporate parks showing up in Lower Parel too. IndiaBulls Centre alone is massive, bigger than the majority of corporate parks I've seen in the suburbs.

While you can't realistically put restrictions on development area-wise, personally I'm not too kicked about the large number of office buildings and 50+ storey residential towers popping up in South Mumbai. It's only going to make things much worse to the point where all the sea links in the world can't save the day.

Which begs the question, why would you pay all those crores to go live in an area that's rapidly turning into a bigger mess? Sea view is all very nice, but seriously. South Mumbai property rates need a reality check. Like, yesterday.

[Sughosh]

Well , perhaps that was a bit harsh in a situation where property rates are pretty much verging on the ridiculous wherever you go (I mean , Virar @ 4500 psf? WTF?), but it does seem silly to hang on to South Mumbai for some misguided "prestige" issue. We'd be better off creating similar Mini-Manhattans elsewhere, with better road / rail connectivity. Palm Beach Road certainly had the right idea, but the disappointing lack of major commercial expansion in Navi Mumbai only puts a further strain on the system. How I long for the day when we don't have to build any more links from the island to the mainland because neither desperately needs to travel to the other.

[Bombay Boy]

you have to actually live in the nicer parts of south bombay and then any other part of india to know why south bombay still commands the highest prices. the relative price premium people pay is not irrational

[IchimaruGin1]

Originally Posted by Sughosh

True, somewhat. The distribution of offices has improved considerably over the last decade or so, with BKC, Andheri, Goregaon, and now even Vikhroli (Godrej) emerging as fairly dense business districts. But honestly, there's a not insignificant amount of corporate parks showing up in Lower Parel too. IndiaBulls Centre alone is massive, bigger than the majority of corporate parks I've seen in the suburbs.

While you can't realistically put restrictions on development area-wise, personally I'm not too kicked about the large number of office buildings and 50+ storey residential towers popping up in South Mumbai. It's only going to make things much worse to the point where all the sea links in the world can't save the day.

Which begs the question, why would you pay all those crores to go live in an area that's rapidly turning into a bigger mess? Sea view is all very nice, but seriously. South Mumbai property rates need a reality check. Like, yesterday.

well Sobo has great architecture. It really does. Its stunning.

Plus there will be enough offices to sustain the development of the area. the simple reason being there is plenty for all of MMR to grow.

however currently many people commute from the suburbs into sobo. I think that will stop or come down to a trickle.

No doubt sobo will remain the most desirable part of the city. Only probably some of the western burbs like Bandra etc will have similar reputations by the end of the decade.

plus BKC is centrally located. Even Sobo is not that far away from it.


What sobo needs to do is add some more commercial on the eastern front.Sweri/Cotton green area. So with that regard the sea link can potential cause those areas to develop.

[Sughosh]

Originally Posted by Bombay Boy

you have to actually live in the nicer parts of south bombay and then any other part of india to know why south bombay still commands the highest prices. the relative price premium people pay is not irrational

Not altogether an invalid viewpoint, but perhaps with just an ever so slight hint of smugness?

Where I live (Deonar) is generally more notorious for its dumping ground and slaughter house, but suitably far away from those undesirable locations lie some beautiful housing societies with plenty of green and a truly peaceful life. I'll admit I've never lived in the "nicer parts of south bombay" (1970 is too late for your family to arrive if you're planning to do that), but I certainly do not lack for quality of life. I'm one of the fortunate ones, no doubt, piockets like these in the suburbs are few and far between (perhaps even endangered, given the overenthusiastic builder lobby) but SoBo, for all its well-acknowledged loveliness, is just that bit overrated, IMHO.

[khargharboi]

Originally Posted by Sughosh

Where I live (Deonar) is generally more notorious for its dumping ground and slaughter house, but suitably far away from those undesirable locations lie some beautiful housing societies with plenty of green and a truly peaceful life.

No offence intended, but that area stinks like crazy whenever i pass it. I always wondered how people live there. I would also imagine that there would be pollution due to burning of the wastes, or does that not happen?

[Bombay Boy]

Originally Posted by Sughosh

Not altogether an invalid viewpoint, but perhaps with just an ever so slight hint of smugness?

Where I live (Deonar) is generally more notorious for its dumping ground and slaughter house, but suitably far away from those undesirable locations lie some beautiful housing societies with plenty of green and a truly peaceful life. I'll admit I've never lived in the "nicer parts of south bombay" (1970 is too late for your family to arrive if you're planning to do that), but I certainly do not lack for quality of life. I'm one of the fortunate ones, no doubt, piockets like these in the suburbs are few and far between (perhaps even endangered, given the overenthusiastic builder lobby) but SoBo, for all its well-acknowledged loveliness, is just that bit overrated, IMHO.

the quality of life in some of the suburban societies when it comes to life within your immediate surroundings is a whole lot better than that in the average south bombay dwelling. some of my friends shifted to the suburbs and they have housing societies with pools, huge gardens, gyms, lots of greenery nearby, etc which they couldnt have dreamed of if they continued living in south bombay

but the reason why the prices are so high is not due to fantastic housing in south bombay, its due to the city around you and what it offers in terms of infra, aesthetics, dining and entertainment options, cultural options, etc

its like comparing any older city centre in any city to the planned suburbs on its outskirts. people pay for the history and the vibe

[Sughosh]

Originally Posted by khargharboi

No offence intended, but that area stinks like crazy whenever i pass it. I always wondered how people live there. I would also imagine that there would be pollution due to burning of the wastes, or does that not happen?

Heh. Stock response, at the mention of Deonar

Do you pass by Sion - Trombay road? I live closer to that, and I can't say I've detected any stink or polllution. Maybe I'm immune? Twenty years is a long time...

Of course, the "other side" of Deonar, on the GMLR, which is closer to aforementioned undesirable places, has plenty of stink to go around. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to cross the railway tracks!

[Sughosh]

Originally Posted by Bombay Boy

the quality of life in some of the suburban societies when it comes to life within your immediate surroundings is a whole lot better than that in the average south bombay dwelling. some of my friends shifted to the suburbs and they have housing societies with pools, huge gardens, gyms, lots of greenery nearby, etc which they couldnt have dreamed of if they continued living in south bombay

but the reason why the prices are so high is not due to fantastic housing in south bombay, its due to the city around you and what it offers in terms of infra, aesthetics, dining and entertainment options, cultural options, etc

its like comparing any older city centre in any city to the planned suburbs on its outskirts. people pay for the history and the vibe

Ha! Did you say "planned" suburbs?

Yes, history and all that is something you can't replicate or package, no doubt. But having said that, I believe too many of these 50-storeyers will blow most of the history and vibe out of SoBo too.

Any remnants of older cultures are to be treasured (sadly this hasn't been done in the suburbs - some of the relics on the Western Line could've been awesome if they'd not given in to slums).

On dining and entertainment options, well, some of those are disappearing too. Sterling just isn't the same anymore, or Metro. I'm kind of glad Regal retains its Heritage status - not the most comfortable of places obv, but certainly some history. One merely wonders how long these landmarks will be permitted to remain landmarks, rather than be pulled down and replaced by shiny new steel-and-glass monotones.

But TBH, town's greatest charm back in my college days was the fact that it was the only place in Bombay that screened English films. Oh, and the street book vendors. Both those points aren't valid anymore (the second one infinitely more tragic).

[Bombay Boy]

protected heritage structures cannot be pulled down. regal and eros are both protected, as is metro. they can only be renovated

[ChennaiIndian]

Originally Posted by IchimaruGin1

hmm guys how do the people of Chennai and TN think about Mumbai? Is it good or bad? or a bit of both.

Like to hear ya opinion

IchimaruGin1, here are my views to your question posted in Chennai discussions thread. If you feel that this is not the place to discuss this or if my views are controversial, please tell me and I will stop immediately. I hope our good friend Marathaman will also be watching this.

Mumbai is the best cosmopolitan city in India. When British first settled in India, they established Madras and Calcutta and took them to prominence. However Bombay grew big because it was geographically closer to England than others. This geographical advantage was the 'kick off' factor for Bombay to become so important to India. A similar story in the US - Chicago which was the most important city in the US in the 19th century, lost to New York in a span of 4 to 5 decades.

Post British times, like any other city in India, Mumbai also grew with its 'built up' advantage and eventually became the center of finance and commerce. Being the only city in India which is geographically closest to the economically rich Western countries, Mumbai has become the Gateway of India of sorts.

Post liberalization, the situation is such that educated people especially from South India need not travel all the way to Mumbai to get the best livelihood. It is available at our doorstep in our own cities. So, I feel Mumbai is the not the city of choice to some people unlike the case 20 years ago.

Now, here comes the contentious point...Mumbai's success is not due to locals and it is not the city of people of just one state. I know many would not like me saying this but this is what I feel is correct. Just like in Bangalore, the economy of Mumbai is mostly controlled by people who came in migrants long time ago. Its not with the locals.

Coming from Chennai which is not as big as Mumbai, my only respite of a 'feel proud' moment is that people from my place have made it big and bigger than the locals there on many occasions.

[IchimaruGin1]

^hmm interesting points well made