Is Rapid Growth of Population in Metropolitan Cities of India a Serious Problem?

Is Rapid Growth of Population in Metropolitan Cities of India a Serious Problem?

According to 1991 census the number of metropolitan cities has grown from 12 in 1981 to 23 in 1991 and to 35 in 2001.

The Metropolitan Cities are:

Greater Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Nagpur, Kanpur, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Surat, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal, Vadodara, Vishakhapattanam, Madurai, Ludhiana, Kochi, Agra, Meerut, Nasik, Jabalpur, Jamshedpur, Asansol, Dhanbad, Faridabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Vijaiwada, Rajkot. More than 56% of the total urban population lives in these metropolitan cities.

There is a rapid increase of population in these cities. In Delhi urban population is increasing at an annual rate of 4.15%. This rapid increase has become a serious problem, because of the following:

(i) There is strain on the civic amenities being provided by the civic bodies to the people.

(ii) Slums are cropping up at very fast pace.

(iii) There is dearth of schools, housing, media facilities, transport and recreational centres.

(iv) Unemployment problems have attained alarming proportions.

(v) There is strain on law and order maintaining authorities.

(vi) Beautification programmes have come to stand-still.

(vii) People have become self-centred. They have no concern for others.

(viii) Road accidents have increased by leaps and bounds.

(ix) Air, water, sound pollution have become the order of the day.