MUMBAI FIRST AND EUROPEAN UNION

SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION AND

WORLD CITIES CONFERENCE
25th MAY, 2015
HOTEL TRIDENT, MARINE DRIVE MUMBAI

JAYANT KUMAR BANTHIA

 Urban population (% of total) in India was 31.30 as of

2011. Its highest value over the past 51 years was
31.30 in 2011, while its lowest value was 17.92 in
1960.
The value for Urban population in India was
388,524,900 as of 2011. Over the past 51 years this
indicator reached a maximum value of 388,524,900 in
2011 and a minimum value of 80,271,580 in 1960.
Definition: Urban population refers to people living in
urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It
is calculated using World Bank population estimates
and urban ratios from the United Nations World
Urbanization Prospects.

 CURRENT URBAN POPULATION OF INDIA IS

APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO INDIAS POPULATION
AT THE TIME OF INDEPENDENCE
AND ALSO ALMOST EQUAL TO CURRENT USAS
POPULATION
UNLIKE SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES WHICH
HAVE ONE PRIMA URBAS, USUALLY THE
COUNTRY CAPITAL ACCOUNTING FOR THE BULK
OF THE URBAN POPULATION OF THAT COUNTRY.
INDIA HISTORICALLY HAD SEVERAL URBAN
CENTERS, USUALLY COASTAL CITIES. NO
LONGER TRUE NOW. HENCE URBAN
POPULATION IN INDIA IS CONSIDERABLY
SPREAD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

Basic feature of urbanization in India can be

highlighted as :
1 Lopsided urbanization induces growth of class I
cities
2 Urbanisation occurs without industrialization
and strong economic base
3 Urbanisation mainly a product of demographic
explosion and poverty induced rural - urban
migration.
4 Rapid urbanization leads to massive growth of
slum followed by misery, poverty, unemployment,
exploitation, inequalities, degradation in the
quality of urban life.
5 Urbanisation occurs not due to urban pull but
due to rural push.
6 Poor quality of rural-urban migration leads to

Top 20 Urban Agglomerations/Cities in India (Census 2011)

Ran
k

Agglomerati
ons
/Cities

State

Mumbai

Maharashtra

Delhi

Delhi

Kolkata

West Bengal

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

Bangalore

Hyderabad

Karnataka
Andhra
Pradesh

Ahmedabad

Gujarat

Pune

Maharashtra

Surat

Gujarat

10

Jaipur

Rajasthan

Agglomerati
ons/
Cities

Populatio
n
Rank
18,414,2
88
11 Kanpur
16,314,8
38
12 Lucknow
14,112,5
36
13 Nagpur
8,696,01
0
14 Ghaziabad
8,499,39
9
15 Indore
7,749,33
4
16 Coimbatore
6,240,20
1
17 Kochi
5,049,96
8
18 Patna
4,585,36
7
19 Kozhikode
3,073,35
0
20 Bhopal

State
Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh
Maharashtra
Uttar
Pradesh
Madhya
Pradesh
Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Bihar
Kerala
Madhya
Pradesh

Populatio
n
2,920,06
7
2,901,47
4
2,497,77
7
2,358,52
5
2,167,44
7
2,151,46
6
2,117,99
0
2,046,65
2
2,030,51
9
1,883,38
1

As per report of the population projections constituted by the

National Commission on Population (2006), the urbanization in
India would be 38.8% by the year 2026. According to a survey
by UN State of the World Population report in 2007, by 2030,
40.76% of country's population is expected to reside in urban
areas.
India will lead the world's urban population surge by 2050 as
per World Bank. If one fits the trend line to the data as below,
one gets that India may achieve the urbanization of 39.72% by
the year 2050 only, if the trend continues.
Census Year 1951

1961

1971

1981

1991

2001

2011

All-India % 17.29 17.97 19.91 23.08 25.49 27.81 31.16

Urban

Contrary to conventional wisdom, natural

urban growth and not migration from rural
areas is the major cause of urban
population growth.

SLUM POPULATION
SLUMS AND SLUM POPULATION WERE NOT A
FEATURE OF EVEN METROPOLITAN TOWNS IN PRE
INDEPENDENT INDIA AND ALMOST UPTO 1970S.
IMPROVEMENT TRUSTS SET UP IN
PREINDEPENDENT INDIA TOOK CARE OF EMERGING
URBAN PLANNING AND URBAN CHALLENGES .
( NAGPUR IMPROVEMENT TRUS, BOMBAY
IMPROVEMENT TRUST FOR EXAMPLE)
PROVIDED HOUSING STOCK TO INDUSTRIAL
URBAN MIGRANTS (CHAWLS IN MUMBAI FOR
EXAMPLE PROVIDED HOUSING STOCK TO TEXTILE
WORKERS)

SLUM POPULATION
INTRODUCTION OF URBAN LAND CEILING ACT
LED TO SEVERE LAND CRUNCH IN
METROPOLITAN TOWNS AND ACCELERATED
THE GROWTH OF SLUM AND SLUM
POPULATION
INABILITY OF LOCAL, STATE AND CENTRAL
GOVERNMENTS TO PROTECT ITS OWN LAND
FROM ENCROACHMENTS LED TO CREATION
OF LARGE POLITICAL CONSTITUENCIES WHICH
HAVE NOW BECOME AN ALBATROSS AROUND
ITS NECK

 Some of the major problems of urbanisation in

India are
1. Urban Sprawl
2. Overcrowding
3. Housing
4. Unemployment
5. Slums and Squatter Settlements
6. Transport
7. Water
8. Sewerage Problems
9. Trash Disposal
10. Urban Crimes
11. Problem of Urban Pollution!

The Census of India 2001 concluded the

first ever and the largest survey of
household amenities and assets which
points a never-before profile of problem
relating to housing in India.
The outcome is both instructive and
amusing.
Thirty-nine per cent of all married couples
in India (about 86 million) do not have an
independent room to themselves.

 For about a third of urban Indian

families, a house does not include a
kitchen, a bathroom, a toiletand in
many cases there is no power and water
supply.
Only 79 per cent (42.6 million) urban
household live in permanent (pucca/
DURABLE) houses.
67 per cent (36 million) of the urban
houses are owned by the households
while 29 per cent (15 million) are rented.

Mumbai draws water from neighbouring areas and from

sources located as far as 125 km in the Western Ghats.
Chennai uses water express trains to meets its growing
demand for water.
Bangalore is located on the plateau and draws water from
Cauvery river at a distance of 100 km. Water for Bangalore has
to be lifted about 700 metres with help of lifting pumps.
Hyderabad depends on Nagarjuna Sagar located 137 km
away.

Almost all the major programmes of

urban development suffer from the
chronic disease of resource crunch.
Urban Development has been low on
the development agenda with only 3-4
per cent of the total plan outlay being
allocated to the urban sector.
The National Commission on
Urbanization recommended in 1988 that
at least 8 per cent of the Plan outlay
should be dedicated to urban sector.

Despite the increasing importance of cities,

urban development remains someway off
from the mainstream development radar.
The graphic below accurately captures the
development priorities of Government of
India.
The Eleventh Plan (2007-12) allocation to
various sectors reveals the low priority for
urban development.

CHALLENGES IN URBAN
GOVERNANCE

LACK OF GOOD TOWN PLANNERS AND URBAN

ADMINISTRATORS
LACK OF EXPOSURE TO URBAN GOVERNANCE
AS A PART OF DISTRICT TRAINING AND INITIAL
CAREER PLANNING FOR THE INDIAN
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS(IAS)
URBAN LOCAL BODIES UNABLE TO PROVIDE
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES (CORPORATORS)
WHO CONVERT AND EMERGE AS RELEVANT
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY MEMBERS ( MLAS) OR
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (MPS) FOR RAISING
URBAN ISSUES

CHALLENGES IN URBAN
GOVERNANCE
AS RESULT THE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF URBAN

AFFAIRS IN UNION AND STATE GOVERNMENTS HAVE

LITTLE PRIOR EXPOSURE AND EXPERIENCE OF
URBAN ISSUES
FREEZING OF THE CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES
FOR THE MLAS AND MPS BASED ON 1971 CENSUS
URBAN/ RURAL POPULATION DISTRIBUTION LED TO
POOR AND DISTORTED UNDER-REPRESENTATION
OF THE URBAN POPULATION AND URBAN ISSUES,
UNTIL 2005 .
A FRESH DELIMITATION OF THE BOUNDARIES TOOK
PLACE BASED ON THE 2001 CENSUS TO PROVIDE
FOR PROPORTIONATE REPRESENTATION OF URBAN
POPULATION

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME

ANY Q&A ??