Open Forum

New Delhi, 28 January 2025

City Development

HOLISTIC VIEW CRITICAL

By Dhurjati Mukherjee 

Urbanisation in India has emerged as a big problem as most cities are expanding in an unplanned manner, adding to congestion and pollution. It is understood that the urban population is poised to grow to 600 million by 2030 and the estimated contribution of urban areas may be over 70 percent to the country’s GDP. In fact, big cities in the country have among the largest population density per sq. km in Asia and decongesting these remains a big challenge. 

As India marches towards urbanisation, it is estimated that around 416 million people will be added as urban dwellers in the country between 2018 and 2050. The urban system consists of 7933 settlements, comprising statutory towns and census towns, mostly governed by municipal corporations or municipalities. There are around 3892 census towns which are classified as urban as they meet the criteria of minimum population of 5000, at least 75 percent of the main workforce engaged in non-agricultural activities and a density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. km. But most of the towns have been expanding in an unplanned, unscientific manner and though some may have master plans to guide growth, these are not implemented due to the financial crunch of the municipalities. 

Against this backdrop, at a recent review meeting of the Ministry of housing and urban development, Prime Minister Modi is understood to have suggested more focus on creating facilities, amenities and better transportation networks in zones in cities which naturally attract people and businesses, rather than developing new cities that push horizontal growth.  Certain areas or zones in existing cities that have potential for growth need to be better connected. According to him, connectivity was more important than building new cities. Following these suggestions, the ministry will start work on a better framework for transit-oriented development (TOD) for cities. 

Thus, the emphasis would be on vertical development through transit corridors and ensure decongestion to create open space. However, with population growing in metros and big cities, areas have extended and horizontal growth too is clearly manifest. Mention may be made of Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata in this connection. But experts feel that strengthening the transport corridor is very important at this juncture. 

While a lot depends on states as land use is under the State List, the Centre is expected to formulate the policy framework and be prepared to give funds for making this a reality. Apart from this, there will be need to permit higher floor area ratio (FAR) for vertical growth when development takes place. Big metros like Stockholm, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore have followed this model years ago where TOD has been deployed effectively. In India, also all the metro cities have metro rail connections to facilitate travel. 

However, the question is how much money the Centre can give to the states to establish a strong transport network. In most of the big cities, government buses are on the decline and the private sector has taken over. But most of the private buses are not well maintained, causing much pollution to the city, with Kolkata being one such example. Whether state governments subsidise private transport or increase number of government buses remains to be seen. However, it requires urgent attention to get a viable solution. 

Air pollution has been hitting headlines as it’s a major concern in the metros and even suburban cities. Despite various efforts made at reducing such pollution, the results continue to be dismal. The national capital, Delhi, leads in air pollution but Kolkata and Mumbai have equally dangerous levels. It may be mentioned here that air pollution has also kick-started a vicious circle of poverty as research by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that children exposed to high levels of pollution are less likely to escape poverty in adulthood, as the environment factor impacts their future earnings. 

It is in this context that city development calls for upgradation of slums and slummish type settlements. In formulating any policy for city development, the most important is the need for slum renovation so that the basic facilities of potable water and sanitation are available to them. The government could also start a programme of upgradation of the settlements that are in a dilapidated condition by providing loans at very cheap rates, say around 4 percent per annum so that the residents could repair and upgrade their tenements. Sanitary toilets need also to be built both in recognised and unrecognised slums. 

The upgradation of slums in cities and ensuring a pollution-free atmosphere in these places is of utmost importance. And while there’s a lot of discussion on providing houses in rural areas, there is no scheme of upgrading slums in metros and big cities. Can one deny the necessity of upgrading slums in a phased manner, rehabilitating those who live in slummish type settlements or near railway tracks in suburban areas? Planners and urban development bodies need to investigate the matter on a priority basis to make the city a clean place to live in. 

It is interesting to note that AAP convenor and Delhi’s former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has in a bid to woo voters stated recently that rival BJP would demolish all jhuggi-jhonpri(slum) colonies, if voted to power. However, as the ruling party he should be asked what he has done for improving the slums? Acquiring slum land without providing proper rehabilitation, and not far from where they live, would equally affect the poor and economically weaker sections. It’s high time that all metros and not just Delhi seriously prepare a thorough plan of action to provide houses to slum dwellers. 

The feeling of neglect amongst the poor and marginalised sections gets more pronounced as the gap between them and the rich continues to grow. For example, developers will have ready buyers for flats costing crores of rupees, but there will be people sleeping on the streets, with the sky being their only roof! While infrastructure development needs priority, the government must simultaneously develop modules for ameliorating conditions of the extremely backward and those struggling for an existence, in this development. 

Additionally, while states would have revised master plans of cities, the resource crunch would be a drawback. Therefore, the Centre should provide additional funds for overall development, not just of metros but all big cities which are steadily getting overpopulated. Urbanisation must be handled with overall development.---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)