'Immovable asset...': Gurmeet Chadha’s satirical plea to RBI over Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurugram traffic nightmares

Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Gurugram — three of India’s biggest economic hubs — are witnessing crippling traffic snarls that are eating away hours of productive time from daily commuters. Residents say what was once a 30-minute drive now often stretches to well over an hour, leaving them exhausted and frustrated. 

The traffic crisis is now sparking sharp commentary online. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gurmeet Chadha, Managing Partner & CIO at Compcircle, took a sarcastic dig at the situation: “Request RBI to consider loan for buying a car in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gurugram as Housing loan.. it is largely an immovable asset.” 

The tongue-in-cheek remark struck a chord with many. 

One user compared the chaos to conditions in Bhubaneswar, writing, “In 20 years, the number of vehicles has increased 20 times, but instead of widening the roads, our ‘blind Dhritarashtra’ has actually made them narrower. They escape with sirens in cars, while the common people suffer in traffic.” 

Another blamed civic apathy. “Sadly the local bodies have no clue what to do. They have been sleeping on their jobs. With the exponential rise in vehicles on the road, they need to manage traffic to ensure decongestion. If efforts are taken to plan road network I am sure they can do it. Intent is missing.” 

Frustration with authorities was a recurring theme. A third user mocked official claims, saying, “Metro cities have excellent infra according to Govt. Really??? People r suffering on roads despite paying huge tolls and taxes on purchasing vehicles.” 

The Great Rush Hour 

Bengaluru, once dubbed the Silicon Valley of India, has long battled a reputation for choked streets where tech workers spend nearly as much time commuting as they do in office cubicles. Mumbai, despite its extensive suburban rail network, continues to reel under bottlenecks on arterial roads. Gurugram, the corporate capital of Haryana, is plagued by poor last-mile connectivity and chaotic intersections. 

Urban planners argue that decades of car-centric growth without proportional expansion of road capacity and mass rapid transit has created a perfect storm. Meanwhile, commuters say the situation is only getting worse, with no visible relief in sight.