By Dr Arvind Kumar
Rapid pace of urbanization has become almost ubiquitous phenomenon and India is no exception to it. The present balance of population in favour of rural India is likely to be tilted in the coming two decades in favour of urban areas in India. The Metropolitan cities, particularly Delhi, get paralyzed in monsoons. The urbanization process lacks in making basic amenities available in consonance with the population growth. There is lack of Bijli, Sadak and Pani Facilities owing to absence of proper convergence in between and among different wings of civic bodies.
State Governments’ frequent complaints about paucity of funds to keep pace with growing demands of existing urban centre’s seem unfounded because the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission is not lacking in funds. On the other hand, there’s money for the asking. However, there’s little to show by way of utilizing these funds for either renewing our cities or adding to the civic facilities. This scenario calls for social audit to do a reality check whether the mission is taking us anywhere near achieving the goals for which it was launched. New and upcoming urban centres should be properly planned, equipped with basic amenities and able to bear the brunt of growing population.
