What Makes Muzaffarpur India's Most Unliveable City

Muzaffarpur in Bihar, where I spent most of my work-from-home, has finished last in the recently released Ease-of-Living Index. It trails 61 other cities that have a population of less than 1 million. I am neither outraged nor surprised and do not expect anyone else to be in this old municipality.

- Atul Thakur

An “easy” place Muzaffarpur isn’t, but one thing it teaches you early is to take it easy. I learned this the hard way after spending two hours buying rations, soon after arriving there last October. Annoyed by my “eternal whining”, my parents politely suggested that such outrage was misplaced in Muzaffarpur.

Like most small towns in North India, Muzaffarpur gets no marks for in-city mobility. Bhagwanpur Chowk (intersection of NH22 and NH102), about 2km from my parents’ home, is perpetually jammed. Juran Chapra (hospital hub), station road, Saraiyaganj, and Motijheel (both markets), also test your self-control. My friends from Uttarakhand say distances in Pahar (hills) are measured in hours, not kilometers. The rule applies in Bihar as well. Whether it’s a doctor’s appointment or a flight out of Patna, you must make your plans with hours in reserve.