Sushmita Shrivastava: Yes, there is need to check growth of cities akin to Mumbai if we want to lead a healthy and peaceful life. Life in a city like Mumbai is not life at all but it is a living hell. But unfortunately our leaders are bent upon converting even our good cities into living hells like Mumbai. They are destroying greenery. Pollution in cities is increasing at alarming rate. Water bodies and open spaces are vanishing. People are forced to consume unsafe water. Diseases are increasing. But our governments are not bothered. Builders see only money. So they must build more houses. They must consume the last inch of open space. We shall eat vegetables full of pesticides. We shall drink dirty water full of germs. We shall breathe smoke and noxious gases. Hardly any oxygen will go into our lungs.
Can we remain healthy in such a scenario. But who is bothered. Not even the people who are the sufferer. So the things will not change and more and more of our cities will change into living hells like Mumbai.
Rahul
Nema: In the last few years a new kind of problem has
come into existence for metros. There is mass immigration
of people from rural and small towns to metros leading to
disorder and problems for all the people. Such large cities
definitely need to check their growth. This issue isn't
confined to Mumbai only; the scenario is same for many other
metros as well. Many other metros are on the way of Mumbai.
Each day many people come to these metros, emphasising on demands for education, job, higher income etc. As a result, few metros crossed crores and many others are near that figure. So govt needs to take some action against it, and also define some set of rules regarding the problem. At the same time, the scenario is totally different.
Near about 70% of capital transactions of India is taking place through Mumbai only which also shows how may people will be needed in near future. So, in my view there is need to check growth of cities akin to Mumbai for a safe future and this problem should be addressed urgently.
Deepak
Borde: There is need to check growth of cities Akin
to Mumbai.
No doubt, growth of any city helps in solving one of the biggest problems of unemployment. Apart from unemployment, education standard rises day by day, which helps in fast development of any country. By growth of any city we get better transportation facility, houses, malls and much more things needed for leisure in life. Nowadays we are producing things in our city which we used to import from foreign in past.
But now the question of great concern is where this growth is leading us? To a highly polluted atmosphere, where we cannot breathe easily, where we have to rely on water purifier for clean drinking water, towards depression and all that. People are being affected by new diseases hitherto unknown in our country. With a very fast lifestyle we don't have time to spend with our family and nowadays we rarely see joint families. So there is urgent need to check growth of cities like Mumbai.
Sanju
Kumari: There is need to check growth of cities akin
to Mumbai
As per a survey, India is home to the fourth happiest group of the people in the world. But, another survey on 'Hardship Index' ranked 'Aamchi Mumbai' a lowly 124 of the 130 cities.
Mumbai wants to breathe but there is no free space to access the ambient air. It wants to run but has been clogged in traffic. It wishes to be a bride but has been wrapped in the darkness of slums which are no doubt going to rename it -"Slumbay".
Mumbai floods not because of the coincidence of heavy rain and high tides, but there are reasons more than just these two. Mithi-River which drains excess water into Arabian Sea has become 'Nallah' because of thousands of tonnes of industrial waste. Drains are clogged with the plastic bags and other garbage. The development of low lying slums with multi-storeyed buildings has made the city a concrete jungle which causes rainfall not to be absorbed by the land.
It is not just the 'No Development Zone' that has fallen prey to the frenzy of unplanned building. Successive governments have signed off lands reserved for parks on the pretext of housing poor. Mumbai might have survived to tell the tale of deluge and epidemic, but the challenge that people in the city now face is the deluge of piecemeal policymaking. Habit of short cuts or ad hoc decision in place of a permanent plan is making the situation worse.
India's present national policy on managing urban growth can at best be seen as floundering. There is no national, state or city level strategy. There is lack of vision in the people who plan and those who implement it. Energies are being focused only on creating corporate spaces- Special Economic Zones, Hi-tech cities. Private enclaves are mushrooming on the outskirts of the metros.
Neither the unrestricted expansion of mega cities nor encouraging private islands of development is a way out. What may be useful is a radical rethinking that will shift emphasis from individual city to integrated development of cities.
Malyachal
Mishra: In my opinion, there is no need to check growth
of cities akin to Mumbai but we have to give our attention
on those things which have never existed in Mumbai. We should
always maintain communal harmony, law and order, rules etc.
To make an ideal city, being an Indian it is our duty that
everybody should get good food, good education and lodging.
If we want to create a new and ideal city, we will have
to think beyond casteism, superstitious, regionalism. We
should never think that this city is just for me or her
resident. Nobody from other states can live here. We know
very well that India is a democratic country, so everybody
has a right to live in any state, any city. We should always
think for our country not for our states or city.
If we will follow these things then definitely every city which is growing very fast like Mumbai, will be new and an ideal city.
Shrikant
Trivedi: India is seventh largest country in the world.
Mumbai is the largest city of India. It is the economic
capital of our country also. In my opinion there is no need
to check the growth of cities akin to Mumbai, but there
is need to develop the infrastructure of other cities. After
globalization we cannot ignore the culture where small towns
are converting to metros, when we are looking for a developed
country in 2020 then we have to work for it, and it is not
possible without the contribution of middle and small cities.
Though there are many problems in Mumbai like huge population,
slums, crime and many more but because of these we cannot
check the growth of other cities which have resources and
power of development.
Mahendra Garwa:
Today we are living in modern age. Whole world is developing
in different- sectors. If we want to make developed country,
growth is a must.
Mumbai is the best example in our country. Mumbai's economic condition is better than other cities.
Under globalization all the cities should be uplifted like Mumbai.
RJ
Khurana: Urbanization is a necessary concomitant of
population growth and industrialization. Since population
in India is rising rapidly and the villages with dwindling
landholdings cannot sustain large families, movement of
people to cities in search of education, jobs and a life
of dignity cannot be prevented. Mega cities like Mumbai
are the magnets in view of their reputation for being job
havens. But this is not the right solution. As the time
passes, the infrastructure of these mega cities cannot afford
to take fresh inflows of population without putting extremely
heavy strain on their resources so much so that one day
the pressure becomes totally unacceptable. Today half of
the 20 million population of Mumbai lives in unlivable slums
with erratic water and power supplies, diseases, sanitation,
crime and a host of other ills that life in a mega city
inflicts on its less privileged citizens The right course
is to plan satellite industrial towns with adequate infrastructure
that can sustain 2-5 lakhs of people rather than allow a
free run on mega cities like Mumbai.
Subhash C Agrawal:
Instead of allowing country to be converted in a concrete
jungle through large-scale urbanization, Union government
should choke out a crash-programme to prevent ever-increasing
migration of people from rural areas to cities. Recent move
to abolish farmers' loan in forthcoming Union budget by
levying special cess for the specific purpose on takers
of new loans is a step in right direction. Otherwise continuous
trend of farmers' suicide because of unpayable agricultural
loans was a cause of concern which also had resulted population-burden
on cities from rural areas for people coming in search of
employment. Union government should also give serious thought
to anguish of Dr M Swaminathan for ignoring farmers in awardees
of Padma list which just had one single Padma awardee in
agriculture-sector for mango-plantation in a list of more
than a hundred that too when majority of country's population
depends on agriculture as source of their livelihood. Rate
of economic growth can also be maintained at nine-percent
only if urbanization-trend is effectively checked by giving
proper attention to rural areas.
Krishna Chander
Mouli: Growth is not an exclusive term. It is inclusive.
Growth encompasses all aspects of development of any habitat-
let that be a village, town, city, state or country. Applying
this rider perhaps checking the growth of cities like Mumbai
in general may end up in benefiting one aspect and harming
the other more important aspect thus creating a chaos of
all sorts to the detriment of that city and its citizens.
The socio-economic growth, socio-cultural growth, industrial
growth, socio-religious growth, population growth and last
but not the least the crime growth are the five important
indices of growth of any city like Mumbai. To maintain a
harmonious equilibrium in this growth what needs to be done
is restraining parochialism to grow in the name of socio-cultural
growth, encouraging employment oriented industrial growth;
maintaining parity in the socio-economic growth. Infusing
dynamism and spiritualism in socio-religious growth. Curbing
fundamentalism and containing population growth with the
help of spiritualism and better health and ensuring longer
life for the society finally create respect and fear for
law amongst the criminals of the society. There cannot be
a straight solution or answer to the problem of growth of
the cities like Mumbai since each index of growth has different
definition and manifestation because what is reflected in
economic growth need not necessarily reflect in crime growth
or population growth. All this may sound credulous and wishful
thinking since people at the helm of affairs of governance
do not have the will to govern. Once they assert to allow
only the harmonious growth of cities like Mumbai without
fear or favour these cities will be paradises on earth.
This may still be a dream but only by dreaming we achieve
our goals! said our scientist President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam-
is in't it? RK Kutty: Certainly, looking to the unfortunate
development that took place in Mumbai last week; it is time
to check the fantom like growth of mega/ metropolitan cities.
Factually, when we initially planned our metropolitan cities,
we never thought that such a development would stare us
one day. The Britishers developed almost all our four metropolitan
cities. Two of which - Bombay (now Mumbai) and Calcutta
(now Kolkata) were their port of call. They landed there
first by voyages and then by ships. Victoria Terminus and
Fort Williams are the ever living marks of the Empires dominance
over India. That, in fact, is the past. Now, we are fully
independent and after winning freedom we should have planned
our cities in such a way that it should not have turned
the whole hub of the nation's activities. For example, Mumbai
is now the financial capital of the country. Whole lot of
business takes place there. It is still the major sea port
where transactions of import/export worth millions of dollars
takes place. There is no doubt that the Mumbai as of now
is built up by the blood and sweat of millions of Indians
(in which Maharashtrians were only a part). The question
of 'sons of the soil' shouldn't have been dreamt at the
time when we got the freedom. There was not much development
in infrastructure. The India of today is because of the
collective endeavour of all Indians. Of course, bad planning
in the formative years created settlement of people from
all corners in majority of cities - be it the State's capital
or the Metropolitan cities.
RK Gupta: Mumbai,
a small fishermen's 17th century village, was named after
Mumba devi temple. It was in possession of the Portuguese.
Later on it was given to the British king as dowry in the
marriage of the British prince who was married to the Portuguese
princess. Mubai, having most suitable geographical situation,
became centre of a great economic activity.
With the passage of time, 200 cloth mills started running in Mumbai. The Mumbai port became the hub for dumping the western goods. The Bombay university was established which attracted students from all over India. With the advent of talkie films, the film industry opened a vista with huge investments.
Mumbai had been the pivot of the Indian freedom movement under the leadership of Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Today there is an explosion of population in Mumbai. Mumbai has become one of the biggest populated cities of the world. The unprecedented exodus of mass unemployed people into Mumbai is a common day-to-day feature. The biggest slum of Asia is in Dharavi. The footpaths, roads, slums are full of homeless and jobless people. Due to all these problems the megacity is not capable to provide even the basic amenities to its citizens.
Similarly, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai are also overburdened with growing population like Mumbai. Hence there is urgent need to check the growth of population of these cities by establishing new cities and shifting of the excess population from Mumbai to other smaller towns.
Syed
Aslam Shahid: The widespread attention given to the
sadly misnamed `migrants- exodus' in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata
and the utterance of politicians and public men, have all
apparently misconstrued the really significant issues at
stake.
The solitary solution proposed is for some sort of restriction of migrantion to these cities- as if the migrants were in some sense responsible for slums, unemployment, crimes and all mayhem. All the evidences suggest that this is not the case. What value can there be to a measure which would undoubtedly discomfort poor migrants already in big cities by stigmatizing them or keeping them at bay and giving the preference to local folks which would make excellent propaganda material for those who would choose to see such a measure as essentially anti- democratic and which would provide retrospective vindication for the opportunists?
The ideal factors demanding attention in soaring problems in metropolis are the social causes of mob behaviour of the local population. The usual explanation of disturbances - unemployment anxiety, sexual jealousy- are surely appropriate to only a limited extent in these sudden outbursts. The real causes appear to be principally in the inferiority and frustration experienced by localites. Migrants are simply a convenient and often defenceless target for the aggression arising from mass- frustration or sometimes local leaders incite people to go berserk.
Clearly the growth of cities cannot be stated as a major cause of disturbances and problems in crowded cities. A sound sociological research should be directed to the problems, one might however suggest that the following factors play a part:
A. The growth of cities attracts ambitious people who sacrifice their comforts to earn success. And these achievers invite people from their native state to shore success or to work for them. They, unwillingly though, ignore localites.
B. Regionalism and language- prejudice are the most lethal weapons used by politicians since our independence. It has polarised the society to the extent that they regard themselves Maharashtrian or Gujarati first, then Indian.
C. Rich and successful brigade earns money from these big cities but invests in their native place. Localites are served with dirty jokes and humiliation.
D. Often these migrants deliver statements which clearly indicate that these cities are only money banks to them. They are emotionally attached to their native place. It is quite obvious, but reiterating it ignites localites.
E. The administration of big city wakes up from slumber very late, when slums and land mafia has spread its tentacles in every part of the city.
So growth of cities is not our basic problem. But rather an ill-disciplined, instigatd, frustrated people whose life chances have been either vastly improved moneywise or deteriorated to the extent that they are controlled by shrewd leaders.
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