What will be the future of Urban India?

By: Jagatjeet Mohapatra

As day to day India see the Census graph of urban area growing up rapidly. (33% increase
of urban population in every 10 years) but there are many disorder in transportation, housing,
sanitation, water-supply, energy and health. These are now causes of headache for city
planner, ULB, Development Authority, Municipal Corporation .Government Of India also
taking the same. How can they shut out this? What can they do? Through which it can be
possible?
Govt. takes some innovative steps which gives some advantage sometimes and creates
problem also. In 1992, the 79th Constitutional Amendment is Unique .According to this
election process for Mayor Selection is mandatory in all city and municipal corporation by
voting .Before this Some cities i.e. Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh ,Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh had their own criteria selection.
This amendment first gives power to respective authority which is centrally controlled by the
state government. But Power has no value without any resources and fund. First both Central
Govt. and State Government negotiate to give some amount of Goods and Service Tax (GST)
for the development. But it was few, then they implement revenue collection system through
municipal tax and user charges these werent also fulfil the requirement.
New concept of E-Governance, Transportation system, Urban planning, city management and
many more introduced but all face the same problem of financial crisis.
A few initiates like CSR (Corporate Social responsible) through private expertise, Pooled
Municipal Debt Obligation Facility pays full attention towards governance .The programme
Smart Governance aims to stimulate excellent added features in city.
It recalls the sweet memory of The Open City, Richard Sennett, in which he cleared about the
basic requirement like clean, safe, efficient, dynamic, stimulating should maintain properly.
ICT revolution is changing the nature of all human interactions but also of state-society
relations, sustainable infrastructure carries the economic growth with good facility to the
people for their daily life. The urban-rural continuum creates dynamic smart planning in
governing structure of the city.
Pitfalls of Democratisation of Information, cleared

about the the potential menace of an

inquisitive public, With more and better information becoming accessible, we can expect
further automation of government and social functions and the application of predictive
technologies .
Today it is very difficult to manage a city in smart way as, the technologies are changing
within a second, Government at all levels also struggles with highly departmentalised
governance structures, often leading to fragmented policy initiatives, which have particularly

adverse effects in the context of urban development. The challenges that cities face in todays
interconnected world, are far too complex for one-dimensional solutions. If as Richard
Sennett suggests, the urban challenge of today is acknowledging and coping with disorder,
then India, as it embarks on major urbanisation initiatives for its future, must also build on its
strengths: the flexibility and adaptability of its urban conditions .
There is increasing inequality in most cities and increasing informality in many. And all cities
are confronting the existential threats presented by climate change. Each of these trends has
significant implications for the governance of cities. At the same time, urban governments
face fundamental choices about how to respond to these trends, and what is decided now will
be critical in steering both urban and global futures.
City governments in India clearly need to be given more power and also to be made more
accessible and accountable to their citizens.
At last Central Govt. provides some fund through a national mission called JNNURM
(Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) but there was a conflict it was for a
specific period March 2004 to March 2014 what can be next .Again Govt. change and new
scheme launched like Swachha Bharat Mission and 100 Smart City Mission .These two are
also for the specific time. Then What will be the future of Urban India? Doesnt ULBs
require a specific and permanent fund It still depends on the decision of Government.