Mohammed Nagaman Lateef, the founder of International Iconic Awards and the Talent Head at Balaji Motion Pictures, Balaji Telefilms, and Balaji Digital, is not happy with the growing population in Mumbai. He feels the city is unnecessarily getting crowded.
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“Once the infrastructure is ready, people should avoid overcrowding. For example, in Bangalore and Delhi, they don’t have this many people. Delhi is polluted, that’s true, but they don’t have this level of overpopulation and congestion. Here, the congestion is higher. Even the ‘breathing room’ is crowded; there’s too much happening even in the air,” he added.
He pointed out that even the pace of the city is becoming too stressful, adding, “Because of the sheer number of people and chawls.”
He feels people in general do not have fear of the judiciary, and they don’t think twice before creating a mess. He said, “I’ve seen people spitting in elevators. People act like a disaster. They don’t want to change, and nobody wants to change them; that’s the problem. It’s not like other countries. In Dubai, Saudi, or any Gulf country, if you do something wrong, people are aware, and there is a sense of fear of consequences. That fear doesn’t exist here.”
Asked him about safety in the city, and he shared that though Mumbai is comparatively safer, not all areas of the city are safe. He said, “Mumbai is considered quite safe for local travel even at night. I don’t know who thinks that, but compared to other states, it is a little better but not totally safe. ‘ “Quite safe” is accurate, but not in all areas. There are many areas where it is very hard to be safe.”
What changes can be done to make it a better city? “If I were to suggest changes, I think Adani has done a wonderful job by starting the Dharavi redevelopment, and I would request them to change the entire map of Mumbai. They are the best ones for the job. Everyone needs to live in proper flats rather than chawls,” he concluded.
