URBAN DECAY
   Date :16-Mar-2019

 

 
URBAN DECAY

THE collapse of the foot overbridge near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in Mumbai, is a classic case of urban decay and decadence. The manner and the frequency in which these Railway overbridges in Mumbai are collapsing, taking a huge human toll and maiming innumerable other commuters, should be a matter of grave concern. The city of nearly two crore people, it appears, is crumbling under its own weight and nobody seems to have thought of any remedy for such mishaps.

Thursday’s incident of foot overbridge collapse is a case of sheer neglect by the authorities. In this case there are two authorities involved, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Railways. That makes them to pass the buck on to the other. While the Railways say that it is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation to look after the upkeep of the bridges, the civic authority hold the Railways responsible. In this situation it is the lakhs of commuters, who use the bridges unsuspectingly, the ultimate sufferers and pay a very heavy price for the negligence of the authority.

BUSINESS CULTURE

THE study released by organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry claiming that more than 70 per cent of investors in India “feel the current corporate leadership is unfit to meet the challenges of tomorrow” needs to be seen from all perspectives. First, the study is based on responses of 795 investors globally -- a number that is too small to form a general opinion. Second, it deems technological disruption as a reason for limitation of legacy leadership worldwide.

While the disruption in technology and changing consumer behaviour are vital factors defining future of companies, by no means it can render the current leadership unfit to meet the challenges. Business culture and investor behaviour vary according to the beliefs and systems of a country. In India, family businesses still form a major part of corporate world. And there is a conscious effort of blending orthodoxy with modernity. There is also an endeavour of cultivating leaders. One-dimensional view of modernity as the top requisite to be a future leader will be a wrong premise.