Transcript Uncovering The Myth of Urban Development in Mumbai

Uncovering The Myth of Urban
Development in Mumbai
Prof S. Parasuraman
Tata Institute of Social Sciences,Mumbai
Source : National Geographic
mumbai
“
Myths of Urbanisation
“Increasing migration is making Mumbai a populous city.
Migrants are adversely affecting the livability of the city by
squatting in slums & impacting employability of its inhabitants.”
“Main causes for lack of space - Migration, expansion,
congestion.” and “Increasing rate of Unemployment is attributed
to a higher rate of migration.”
“Efficient transport facility is Metro rail for faster mobility and
infrastructural development.”
“Mumbai has one of the best social infrastructure – health
facilities, education etc.”
The Myth – Lack of space in Mumbai makes
its challenging for mass, public, affordable
housing within city limits
•54% of Mumbai’s population lives in slums occupying merely 8% of
its land area.
• 41% of Mumbai’s land is Built-up area while 52% land is of coastal
wetlands, forests, water bodies and agricultural plantations.
•Available space has been clandestinely opened up for commercial
exploitation than for affordable housing • Prime city land in dead mills.
• Dock lands on eastern waterfront lying vacant (About 7.5%)
• Salt pan lands unused due to land ceiling regulations (21%)
Unraveling the Migration Myth
 Migration accounted for 39% of population growth between 19912001, and natural increase 61%
 Migration of people from North Indian States increased
substantially between 1961 to 2001 and contribution of South Indian
States declined.
 Change in the sex ratio of a population is an important indicator
of who amongst those migrated, finally settled in the city. The
increase of sex ratio of migrants was much more remarkable among
migrant from ‘within’ Maharashtra (that is 854 female per
thousands males in 2001) as compared to migrants from other States
(615 in 2001).
Unraveling the Migration Myth - II
 The highest percentage of migrants originated from within
Maharashtra (37.4 per cent) followed by Uttar Pradesh (24.3
percent) and Gujarat (9.6 per cent).
 Migrants from four southern states—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh were at 16 percent.
 Migrants from southern India moved Hyderabad and
Bangalore, and Gulf countries.
 Much of the migrant population is absorbed in Mumbai’s in
urban agglomerations - Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, MiraBhayander sparing Mumbai from choking up.
 Rate of migration is much faster
agglomerations than in Greater Mumbai.
in
these
urban
Growth Rate of Population of Greater Mumbai &
its constituents
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Greater
Mumabi
(UA)
Greater
Mumbai
(MC)
Thane
Kalyan- Ullasnagar
MiraNavi
Dombivly
Bhayandar Mumbai
Growth Rate 1981-91 (%)
Growth Rate 1991-2001(%)
Unraveling the Transportation Myth
• Mumbai Suburban Railway systems are one of the most efficient
transportation systems and also the deadliest. Railway accidents in
Mumbai claim one life every 2.5 hours, which is probably the
highest in the world.
•
Transportation Systems like Metrorail or Monorail entails –
– Displacement of people from their habitat and livelihoods &
rehabilitation is relatively ineffective (over 20,000 families displaced
by MUTP project of MMRDA since 2000)
– Engulfing crucial urban space as requiring heavy column construction
– Economically draining to the State (Only London Metro together with
Taiwan & Hong Kong are able to sustain operating costs with revenues
– High priced tickets)
• Availability of commercial ready, safest, indigenous, low cost, load
bearing, scalable technologies like Skybus or Rapid Bus Transit
Systems are being ignored.
Unraveling the Employment Myth
 Migrants are engaging in the production-related occupations –
49% and are becoming indispensable to the city’s economy by
filling in cheap labour-oriented & unskilled jobs.
 Non-migrants dominated white-collared professional & technical
jobs (6.8%), administrative executive & managerial jobs (15.2%),
clerical related (15.6%) & sales (12.4%) in various service based
industries.
 Employment in the informal sector grew at a faster rate than in the
formal sector indicated by the pie diagram that follows -
Low-end Services Sector Dominating
Around 70 % of total
work force is engaged
in tertiary sector of
which the low end
service
sector
(workers
from
construction, hotel &
transportation, retail
sector
etc.)
dominating over the
high
end
service
sector (IT, Banking).
Social + Other Services
8%
Primary
1%
Public Administration
7%
Manufacturing&
Electricity, Gas & Water
29%
Computer + other high end
services
5%
Financial Services & Real
Estate
4%
Transportation &
Communication
13%
Construction
7%
Hotel & Restaurant
4%
Wholesale& Retail Trade
22%
Source:Darshini Mahadevia(2005),
Industrial Classification for male workers
Inequities in Social Infrastructure (Education, Health,
Open spaces)
• Peak density of people in Mumbai
(Persons/sq km area) reaches to
101,099 – one of the highest in the
world.
• Even though literacy rate is high in
Mumbai (Male – 82% and female 72%) compared to National average,
higher education levels are poor.
• Only 14 per cent of people in
Mumbai hold College or University
Degree.
• 74% of the educated people in
Mumbai have no vocational training
& 95% have had no technical
education.
Source: Flickr
Inequities in Social Infrastructure (Education, Health,
Open spaces)
• 56% per cent of the slum
population does not have
adequate access to toilets in their
houses.
• Institutional birth in Mumbai88%.
• Children under 2 years who are
fully immunized is 70% in
Mumbai.
• About 40% of children under 3
years
are
underweight
in
Mumbai.
• Health & nutrition indicators of
population living in slums
compare well with Bihar, UP.
Source: Flickr
Inequities in Social Infrastructure (Education, Health,
Open spaces)
• Tribal areas of Thane and
Raigad districts have high
levels
of
infant
and
childhood
mortality,
malnutrition, illiteracy
• Intense resource extraction
from these areas deprived
generations of tribal people
from access to livelihoods,
water,
health
care,
education
Source: Flickr
Cities operate in accordance to a logic
of their own
• they emerge because concentration of resources, industries,
and people have efficiencies of a certain kind.
• Urban bias of government policies and the environmental and
equity consequences of unguided urban growth cannot be
ignored
• placing artificial restrictions such as blocking the inflow of
particular groups of people and the services/skills they
provide can only impede urban economic development;
• Mumbai’s economic success rests on a substructure that is
driven by the energies and skills of complex associations of
migrant and local people.
“Outsiders as Villains”
• There is increase in engineered violence triggered by artificial
constructions of the outsider-villain and the insider-victim.
• Often the most disempowered sections of society can be cast and
punished as scheming villains and such tactics continue to be
unhesitatingly used.
• Mumbai has always been the destination of migration from both within
Maharashtra and from other parts of the country. Its reputation for being
a centre of opportunity has resulted in it becoming arguably the most
cosmopolitan city in India
• A label that it proudly boasts when inviting foreign investment and when it
competes for a position in global city networks. Yet, it is this very same
migration induced cosmopolitanism that is being attacked when
‘outsiders’ are told that they are no longer welcome in the city.
Reclaiming Human Values of Tolerance and
Providing Space for Dignified Existence
• One of the greatest danger is the intolerance
that is inherent in sectarian violence and
which goes against the grain of our traditions
of compassion, warmth and multicultural
symbiosis.
• Never has the need been more urgent for a
true return to these age-old values of
tolerance and letting people live with dignity.
“Everybody has to have patience here. This is like no other place in the world.
This is Mumbai !”
Steve Webb