It’s barely two weeks since the inauguration of India’s first “musical road” engineered to play a popular tune as vehicles drive by, but local residents are already fed up with it.
They say the stretch of road in Mumbai, which is designed to play the song “Jai Ho” from the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire when vehicles drive along at a mandated speed, is disrupting their daily lives.
The 500-metre stretch, opened on 11 February by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the western state of Maharashtra, is India’s first attempt at musical roads.
Engineers carved grooves into the asphalt so that passing vehicles would generate vibrations to recreate the melody, effectively turning the road into a giant musical instrument.
Driving at 70-80kmph produces the tune clearly, while speeding too fast distorts the sound, encouraging drivers to slow down.
Officials describe the project as a fusion of innovation, entertainment, and road safety. Signage on the route informs drivers how to experience the musical stretch, and authorities say it is meant to keep motorists alert.
However, residents of the upscale Breach Candy neighbourhood, home to celebrities, industrialists, and other high-profile figures, describe it as a constant and deeply disruptive presence in their daily lives. What was initially perceived as a temporary or novel feature has become, in their words, “a menace”.
“The sound is really disturbing,” Kavita Chawla, a resident of Vaibhav Apartments, near Tata Gardens in Breach Candy, toldThe Independent.
“We don’t need it at all. There are other things we can do. Why did they waste money on this?”
“At least have some consideration for the residents,” she adds. “Think of the people, children who are having exams, they can’t study in this sound.”
More than 650 families have complained to the municipal authorities, saying the constant repetition of the song has become an “intrusive background noise”.
“Residents are unable to keep their windows open. Senior citizens in particular have expressed serious discomfort,” their letter to the local civic body chief, Bhushan Gagrani, says. “The sound enters homes as a constant, muffled but intrusive background noise.”
The residents said they also sent the letter to the additional municipal commissioner, eastern suburbs, Avinash Dhakne. But Mr Dhakne told The Independent he had not received it, and had only read about it in local newspapers.
Mr Gagrani said: “We don’t find any disturbance as such. It’s hardly 500m. There is no traffic safety hazard. However, we will examine the grievances.”
The residents also pointed out that the musical road might create safety concerns of its own. In their complaint, they say auditory distractions on a high-speed road can pose risks, especially as authorities appear to prioritise novelty over addressing urgent issues like speeding of high-performance cars along the road.
The constant hum of traffic along the road was already violating the maximum noise levels, the residents say, and after the introduction of the musical grooves, the soundscape grew far more disruptive – affecting sleep, focus, and the rhythm of daily life.
They point out that the sea breeze and the way nearby buildings reflect and channel sound, and seem to amplify and carry the melody deeper into residential areas than planners may have expected.
Namrata Sanghai, another resident of Vaibhav Apartments, who lives on the 22nd floor, says: “We have this new musical road come up quite recently, and I would say it’s a menace. It’s a 24/7 thing. It is very, very disturbing. I have a very super senior father-in-law at home, and it is disturbing to him.”
“My son’s 12th standard exams are going on and he is sitting with his window shut the whole day, which is not really very conducive for health, but we really don’t have a choice. It’s very, very irritating and very, very disturbing,” she adds.
“Stop it. Immediately. Absolutely. Stop it.”
Musical roads originated in Japan, where they were created by the engineer Shizuo Shinoda in 2007. They have since appeared in countries like Hungary, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Typically, these roads are situated in sparsely populated areas, minimising disruption to nearby communities.
Mumbai’s version, in contrast, passes directly through a densely populated, affluent neighbourhood.
The musical route is part of Mumbai’s Coastal Road, a $1.6bn (£1.18b) project built largely on reclaimed land from the Arabian Sea that has been controversial since its inception in 2011.
While it has cut travel times between Marine Drive and Worli from 45 minutes to 10, critics argue that it primarily benefits wealthier car owners, leaving the city’s broader population – who rely on crowded public transport – largely excluded from its advantages.
“Residents are increasingly fatigued from repeatedly raising serious civic concerns, only to find attention focused on avoidable and non-essential interventions,” the residents say in their letter.
Ms Sanghai argues that taxpayer money is better spent on “greening the whole place” or improving public amenities.
Some residents, however, do not mind the noise.
Gaurav Kesarkar, a cafe owner near Breach Candy, says: “I don’t think of it as a nuisance... the sound doesn’t reach here at all. I don’t understand why people are thinking it’s a menace, or feel the need to close their windows. It’s beyond my comprehension.”
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