Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra has brought the streets of Indian cities into focus, emphasizing the importance of pavements in providing physical security as well as mental peace.
He appealed to municipalities to implement a holistic approach to street design in urban areas, with an emphasis on aesthetics and size of pavements.
Stepping onto social media platform X, Mahindra posted a note with images of Indian streets and said:
Overlook the PR, this is about the quality of life of the citizen.
These types of streets contribute not only to physical safety but to mental as well.
The most critical design aspect of all these streets are the sidewalks. The sidewalks are the people's & they really indicate what a city places on its citizens.".
All municipalities in the nation must implement holistic street design, with pavements—their size & their look— being the most highly prioritized features [sic].
His post also emphasized the importance of cleanliness and urban hygiene, with pictures from cities like Pune, Indore, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
Public Reactions to Mahindra's Post
Mahindra's comments led to widespread debate on Twitter, with numerous users offering opinions regarding India's urban infrastructure. From the positive side, some complemented urban centers such as Pune, Bengaluru, and Indore for their initiatives, while others criticized urban planning shortcomings.
A user wrote, "Pretty streets with nicely laid-out pavements are not all about looks— they improve safety, mental health, and the quality of life of citizens. Cities such as Pune, Bengaluru, and Indore are taking the lead. All Indian municipalities must give high priority to integral urban planning [sic]."
Complaining, another noted, "Our city infrastructure is a joke. The amount of money wasted in repairing sub-standard roads repeatedly is simply preposterous."
Another point of view expressed concerns regarding city congestion, quoting, "Every infrastructure has a saturation limit. Overcapacity kills the system. Urban India is running on 10x capacity. India needs more urban centres to achieve sustainable growth. Sadly, the hollow promises of Smart Cities didn't materialize over the past decade [sic]."
Another user emphasized the broader role of pavements, commenting, "It’s so true that well-designed streets and pavements are about so much more than just getting from point A to point B. Pavements are truly the public space that everyone shares. They should be welcoming, safe, and accessible to all [sic]."
The Growing Need for Better Street Infrastructure
The focus on better street designs has become more imperative with the increasing number of road accidents in India.
According to a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways titled Road Accidents in India, India saw close to 462 deaths every day in 2022 from road accidents. On average, India saw around 1,264 road accidents each day, resulting in a whopping 1.68 lakh deaths in that year.
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