‘World-class buildings, third-class roads’: Mohandas Pai on private-public infrastructure gap in Mumbai and Bengaluru

A social media debate between former Infosys executive Mohandas Pai and real estate professional Vishal Bhargava has once again thrown the spotlight on the state of urban infrastructure in India’s largest cities.

In his post, Pai described what he sees as a growing divide between high-quality private development and poor public infrastructure.

« Tragedy of our cities. World class buildings, 3rd class roads and footpaths in many areas. Private quality, public disaster due to deep corruption! Was in Andheri, Mumbai today – totally shocked by bad roads, huge garbage on roads, slow work, poor quality of new concrete roads, endless works… » Pai wrote.

Vishal Bhargava, whose original post triggered Pai’s response, highlighted a similar contrast in Bengaluru’s urban landscape.

« Bangalore: You drive on broken roads, invisible footpaths, unchecked garbage – every sign of a third-world city. And then you enter the gates of business parks where a first-world experience awaits, » Bhargava said.

While Bhargava focused on Bengaluru, Pai expanded the conversation to Mumbai, particularly Andheri, where he reported damaged roads, ongoing construction work, garbage and concerns about the quality of newly constructed concrete roads.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticized Mumbai’s infrastructure in the same thread, calling what she described as the financial capital’s « broken and neglected suburbs ».

« Welcome to the crumbling and neglected suburban paradise of Mumbai, where people fight for decent roads to drive on and non-existent footpaths. Aesthetics – nothing. Urban planning – nothing, » he wrote.

The posts have since gained traction on social media, with several users sharing similar experiences from cities across India.

« All the money spent in Mumbai goes to South Bombay; the suburbs of Mumbai are like a gutter. The inner roads are occupied by cars, tempos and private commercial vehicles, along with makeshift shops where the police collect money every week. If the BMC spends even a fraction of its budget on the suburbs without corruption, it would make a huge difference, » one user said.

Another user linked the issue to India’s broader economic goals, writing: « India will hit growth ceiling if its cities don’t provide quality housing. I don’t think India can become a $30 trillion economy without drastic improvements to urban infrastructure. »