First of all, congratulations to all Indians on the opening of the swanky new construction showpiece, Bandra-Worli Sealink. The 8-lane, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct approaches, which will link Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, and is the first phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system will enable speedy travel between Bandra and Worli, cutting travel times from 45–60 minutes to 15 minutes.

The project is indeed one of the modern day temples of India and should inspire greater assurance in India’s future. Aesthetically attractive, the project can become that one foundation stone, which the Indian nation is desperately looking for, towards scaling greater heights in creating world-class infrastructure. Expect the internet and other media to be replete with the pictures of the project in the days to come.

Now for the plain talk. What was supposed to be a Rs 300-crore project, with the finishing date in 2004, actually cost Rs 1,600 crore and was completed five years late. And if that is not bad enough, while the theory of the bridge proposes that the sea-link will reduce the 40-minute car journey from Bandra to Worli to seven minutes (yes, you read that right!), every commuter of Mumbai worth his salt knows that in practice, the design will lead to traffic bunching at both ends of the link, thereby becoming an old nightmare at a new place!

The fears were proved right on the first day (July 1, 2009) itself, when it took commuters 35 minutes to travel across the bridge. Admittedly, the higher rush on the first day was owing to the fact that no toll is going to be charged in the first few days – thereby encourging all and sundry to have the experience of India’s newest marvel! But, would’nt the time taken at the toll point be counted when the exercise does begin?

What’s more, from the holistic point of view, what should bother a town or infrastructure planner is the truth that the Bandra-Worli link is a short stretch (5.4 Kms; China has two sea-links that span over 30 kms) that does not even cover the western shore, as envisaged about two decades ago. And yet, the project took ages before seeing the light of the day, simply because there were design changes and payment disputes every other then – an almost standard feature of all major projects of India. Add to that the fact that the trans-harbour bridge creek has been bid-for twice, but has not been awarded to anybody as yet.

At the risk of sounding too cynical, one must confess that the list of the project deficiencies can become a bit tedious. And yet, what takes the cake is the politics of it all. The Maharashtra government (or is it Sonia Gandhi, supported by and her bravado-breathing-bete-noir-turned-meek-admirer Sharad Pawar?) has decided to name the bridge after Rajiv Gandhi. As if Supreme Court having to chide UP Chief Minister Mayawati for going overboard with her statues in Lucknow was not enough, we would now have to deal with verbal volleys in Maharashtra over the naming of the  bridge. Rest assured, in the din surrounding the politics of name, the whole issue of project and infrastructure management would get a silent burial.

Sad? Maybe. Expected? Oh yes!