India’s capital, Delhi, is the most livable city in the country. So says a recent survey conducted by consulting firm Ernst & Young. The study compared 48 cities on 57 parameters including infrastructure, business, environment, standard of living and urban governance. Better infrastructure, higher per capita income and the Metro have had helped Delhi top the financial capital, Mumbai, as the place to be in India.
Predictably, the capital’s citizen are gung-ho about being on top of the heap. But hang on. It is important to place the ranking in perspective.
Predictably, the capital’s citizen are gung-ho about being on top of the heap. But hang on. It is important to place the ranking in perspective. A survey conducted by Mercer Human resource Consulting which included 215 cities – ranked Delhi a lowly 148, Mumbai 151 and the IT hub Bangalore, at 153. None of our metros can claim to offer a minimum decent standard of living.
Specific services such as health care, transport, housing and recreation are in a holy mess. Cities due to inept planning do not have the infrastructure and resources to accommodate the surge migrant influx. Radical changes have to be wheeled in quickly in order to avoid a series of impending disasters.
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Urban migration is bound to increase as India’s economy expands. One way of easing the pressure on the metros is to focus on developing infrastructure and public services in tier- 2 cities, making them an attractive destination.