Growing Urban Centers in India – Challenges Ahead

[I will update and organize this writing in next sitting. When I don’t know?]

Challenges of urbanization are enormous. Inhabitants of an urban center realize these challenges when they are stuck in traffic jams or they have to push many other fellow passengers to board a public transport or they don’t get the sufficient water and power supply or reasonably acceptable medical facilities become unaffordable and the list goes on. Over a period of time, when majority of inhabitants of an urban center start behaving like machines then for sure not all is well there in that urban center – either urban planners judgments went wrong or the master plan executing agencies messed it up while building infrastructure or the enforcement agencies became lenient in implementing the master plan effectively or rules were broken to maximize the unsustainable economic gains.

Urban challenges frustrate inhabitants. So what! Do these frustrated inhabitants leave for better urban center? No. Why? Are alternates available to them? Options to earn comparable living hoods are severely skewed. Present inhabitants of an urban center are stuck in dilemma – to leave or not to leave. They keep compromising with the present conditions and hope for the better future – positive dreams. In the meantime many more, in hundreds or in thousands, are added to their urban center making urban challenges even graver and infrastructure more strained. Overly strained urban centers are reaching to their boiling points – divide between the original inhabitants and migrants has increased to a level of discomfort to each other. They don’t like each other eye to eye. New political outfits are born to exploit the challenges of urban centers. Veteran political parties are also no exception.

Most of the time, urban civic bodies are unable to exercise their due authorities and stuck in managing day to day challenges. These civic bodies are left with restricted options with lot of constraints to bring in some positive change.

Is there a solution to such grave challenges? YES. In todays materialistic world where the language of economies are best understood, there is a need to build a web of sustainable urban centers and highlight the economic & social gains. Let the new industrial houses understand the benefits of sustainable development and let them appreciate ‘inclusive’ growth model developed by certain veteran industrial houses or even government sectors in past. Visionaries in past built self sustainable urban centers or townships in isolated areas and did roaring business from remote places. India already has scores of success stories of such urban centers. Haven’t we noticed the sustainable townships built around steel factories [Jamshedpur/Jagdishpur] or power stations [Jhansi/Korba/Bhabha Nagar] or even the defense settlements [Cantt areas in many cities across India]? One will find good environment, pleasing landscapes, cleaner roads, excellent schooling, easy availability of daily needs, sources of entertainment and what not! These townships have everything what is required for a respectful & affordable living. Why not successful models of these townships are scaled to larger urban centers?