Urbanization in India

The growth story of the Indian cities is creating a huge impact on all aspects of our civilization. 21st-century urban growth seems hardly constrained by any geography. Delhi, India's capital, located in the hinterland in the North, and having nearest port thousands of kilometers away, is very soon going to emerge as the second most populated city in the world just behind Tokyo. Similarly, Lucknow, Surat, Ahmedabad, Indore, Guwahati, Kanpur, Jammu, Ludhiana, Nagpur and other cities are also growing despite having no sea port nearby. While this growth is a cause of celebration, but in its wake, it is also taking its toll in many ways. Endemic Pollution, Traffic Woes, encroachment of public spaces, depletion of green and open spaces, fights on parking spaces, construction debris mismanagement/disposal, a proliferation of Garbage/plastics/ polythene, unhealthy slum living, dirty rivers, are obvious. But the huge brunt of this growth is being felt in several adverse ways across the broad spectrum of Society. This paper addresses several issues and factors pertaining to urbanization impact in India in general and Lucknow in particular.