Is urbanisation helping the marginalised people?

Is urbanisation helping the marginalised people?

Sir

Urbanisation seems to be the solution of unemployment and condition of the poor people, but I want to ask a question. Does it really help?

Actually the answer is no, it doesn’t help but create more problems and hassles all around us.

Urbanisation has become an issue that needs to be sorted out. I will not say that it is bad, though the benefits of living in the developed countries are quite clear but I would like to discuss about the other side of the urbanisation like what are the challenges that we face due to it.

Urbanisation has resulted in a lot of problems like environmental consequences- deforestation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, fresh water scarcity, increased waste generation etc. Rise in urban population also disturbs the balance.

Rural and urban migration in India generally depends on the better economic opportunities in cities. Delhi has also become a small hub for the migrants. It has small scale industries in which people, generally from Bihar and UP migrate over there in search of work. The workers who migrate have to do long hours of work and in many places they don’t get the minimum wages. They are exposed to  harmful chemicals. Women and children are exploited, they get lower wages compared with the male workers.

Rise of urban population in the country provide cheap unskilled or semiskilled labour. The migration rate may vary from place to place but the causes remain the same. It helps the owners of the industries but the workers put their life at risk, getting little just for surviving.

We need to think on it. We cannot shut down these industries because it will snatch the livelihood of many.Many will become unemployed and it will make their lives more difficult. So the growth of infrastructure and the development of the citizens should go together. We need to think a way in which the poor will not have to sacrifice.

 

Yours truly

Seema Kumari, BMC 3rd year, St. Xavier’s College of Management and Technology,Digha, Patna