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The first municipal corporation in India was established at Madras in 1687-88. Municipal corporations were established in Bombay and Calcutta in 1726. In 1882, a resolution was passed, mandating the formation of panchayats at the village level and district councils, taluq councils, and municipalities. Lord Ripon was the Viceroy of India at the time, and he is regarded as the father of Indian local self-government.
Since independence, urbanization has been centred on the following five-year plans:
The first two plans concentrated on establishing institutions and organisations, and the states were encouraged to do so too.
Reasons for Urbanization in India
1. Industrialisation:
One of the principal drivers of urbanization is industrialization. Individuals from backward districts moved to metropolitan areas, looking for better work possibilities.
2. Social Reasons:
Many social aspects, such as metropolitan area attractions, better living, more freedom, and the desire for individualistic pursuits, prompt people to move to cities.
3. Business Opportunities:
In rural areas in India, people depend largely upon agriculture for survival, which is dependent on rain. People want to join different professions and move to cities for newer opportunities.
4. Modernization:
Large highways, access to communication, and better health conditions attract people from the rural areas towards cities. People know that they can live a better life in the city compared to their villages.
The Impacts of Urbanization in India
Some of the effects of urbanization:
Positive Impact:
- An improvement in one’s standard of living.
- Opportunities for work in metropolitan regions.
iii. Transportation and communication accessibility.
When urbanization is restricted to an acceptable level, it is suitable for everyone. Uncontrolled migration of people from rural areas to cities has many negative impacts.
Negative Outcome:
i. Overpopulation Issue:
The massive urban population in India is an enormous issue in metropolitan areas. It has caused lower personal satisfaction, an increase in slums, etc.
- Joint Family Disintegration:
It is challenging to maintain a joint family because of the unprecedented expenses of essential items in metropolitan areas. Individuals prefer nuclear families.
iii. Increased Cost of Essential Items:
The huge average cost is the fundamental issue of concern in metropolitan areas. Places like Mumbai and Bengaluru are costly, and people must work hard to sustain themselves.
iv. Growing Crime Rates:
Urban regions have an alarming rate of criminal activities. In the metropolitan areas, theft, dacoity, murder, assault, and other illegal activities are widespread.
- Impersonal Relations:
Impersonal relations symbolise metropolitan centre life. In urban areas, the possibility of a peaceful life is non-existent. Life in the city is incredibly challenging, and people might have mental health issues along these lines. Individuals are selfish and uninterested towards people.
- Pollution:
Pollution is a massive issue in industrialised metropolitan areas. The main factor behind the pollution is the large number of vehicles for transportation.
vii. Stress:
Stress is a part of city living, affecting family relationships.
Planning in Urbanization
Planning is primarily centralised, and state planning boards and commissions have yet to issue specific planning strategies, relying instead on the Planning Commission. As the planning commission has been eliminated, the emphasis is now on improving the federal system and strengthening the states.
In fact, for large cities, the plans have grown outmoded and do not represent the concerns of local urban residents; this is something that the Metropolitan Planning Committee must address under the 74th Amendment Act’s regulations. To meet the requirements of city people, decentralised and inclusive planning is now required.
There is also a scarcity of human resources for large-scale planning. State planning bureaus and national planning bodies desperately need qualified planners. Land use, infrastructure, ecological sustainability, social integration, risk mitigation, economic output, and economic diversification are areas where planners should expand their reach from physical to integrated planning.
Industrialization
Industrialization is the period of social and economic changes that transforms society from an agrarian society into an industrial society for manufacturing, in which the industrial population is divided into a small group of owners for the means of production. A larger group of workers sell their labour power (i.e., capacity to work) to their capitalist employers in exchange for wages.
The Industrial Revolution had various effects on different groups. The landed class prospered as the rents on the estates they possessed increased (due to more extensive demands of agricultural products and the mines and railways which passed through their lands).
After Industrialisation and Urbanization in India, the vast majority of the new group became the new ‘middle class’.
They were politically active and more well-represented and took intellectual inspiration from liberal economic concepts, which grew in popularity during this time.
The most significant disorganisation and disturbance occurred in workers’ lives. They were now solely reliant on pay for survival. They adapted to the regularity and monotony of industrial employment, frequently under stress and always with difficulty. Workers’ primarily spent their lives in the slums of the new cities, where illnesses were common.
Conclusion
We can conclude that urbanization is increasing in India, with full support for possibilities and a high standard of living. However, as urbanization accelerates, it creates obstacles for balanced, fair, and inclusive growth.
People learn about each other’s cultures and share knowledge, which helps break down the boundaries that previously existed between people. In reality, societal structures are dispersing, such as family structures changing from joint to nuclear.
