India is a developing country. As the population grows rapidly, the development of cities is imminent. Urbanisation as an outcome of this development is being addressed here. Two case studies of medium towns are done underlining the factors of growth determining the structure of development. The objective is to learn from these experiences and make generalisations that could be helpful for the future development of many other similar towns and for developing a framework for balanced urban development in India.

1. S T UD Y I N I N D I A N C O N T E X T
Medium towns as future
Growth Centers
Efforts by: Ar. Omkar Parishwad
MURP, SPA, Bhopal

2. What is Growth?
A growing GDP is evidence of a society getting its collective act
together. As its economy grows, a society becomes more tightly
organized, more densely interwoven.
A growing economy is one in which energies are better directed;
resources better deployed; techniques mastered, then advanced. It is
not just about making money.
Gross domestic product (GDP): It is a statistical compression, reducing
national economy into a single number, which can increase over time.

3. Leadership and governance; Credible commitment
to growth, inclusion; Capable administration..
Future orientation; High investment, High saving
Market allocation; Guide prices; Resources follow prices
Openness to Import knowledge; Exploit global demand..
Macroeconomic stability; Modest inflation; Sustainable
public finances..
The common characteristics of a Growth Centre:
Growth
1. Urbanization (Concentration of population; Density; Occupation..)
2. Infrastructure facilitation..
3. Economic Growth/ Standard of living..

4. India’s Urbanization
Urbanisation is an index of transformation from traditional
rural economies to modern industrial one.
Process of Urbanization in India

5. Degree & Pace of Urbanization in India
Degree of Urbanisation
in India
Pace of
Urbanisation
in India

6. Growth of City by Size Class
• The share of class I cities, with population size of 100,000 or more, has gone up
significantly from 26 % in 1901 to 69 % in 2001.
• The percentage share of class IV, V and VI towns, having less than 20,000 people,
on the other hand, has gone down drastically from 47% to 10% only.

7. Conception _ Urbanization..
• Does Growth ultimately lead to Urbanization?
• Is the prevailing definition of urbanization accute in its sense?
• Does the Lewis Mumford theory of evolution of cities in city
in history hold true?
• How can development be achieved without the side effects of
growth?
• Regional Development vs. Urbanization…
• Future of Small & Medium cities in India..
• Agriculture vs. Industrialization…
• Economy vs. nature!

8. Classification- Special Regions : India
• Eco – Sensitive Regions
• Coastal Regions
• Hilly Regions (HADP)
• Western Ghats (Coastal + Hilly) (WGDP)
• Desert Regions (DDP)
• Resource Rich Regions
• Backward Regions
• North Eastern Regions (NEC)
• Strategic Regions
• Border Area Regions (BADP)
• Naxalite Regions

9. Eco Sensitive: Hilly area Regions..
(ii) Areas which form part of a State, which are termed as
Designated Hill Areas', namely :
a. Two hill districts of Assam - North Cachar and Karbi
Anglong
b. Eight districts of Uttar Pradesh - Dehradun, Pauri
Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Chamoli, Uttar Kashi,
Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh.
c. Major part of Darjeeling District of West Bengal.
d. Nilgris District of Tamil Nadu.
e. 163 talukas of Western Ghats area comprising parts of
Maharashtra (62 talukas), Karna-taka (40 talukas) Tamil
Nadu (29 talukas), Kerala (29 talukas) and Goa (Stalukas).
(i) Areas which are co-extensive with the boundaries of the State or Union
Territory, i.e., Hill States/Union Territories, namely, Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura,
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.

10. Desert Regions:
India
• The hot desert
regions of Gujarat,
Rajasthan and
Haryana..
• The cold desert areas
in Jammu & Kashmir
and Himachal
Pradesh..

11. Backward Regions
of India
North Eastern Council (NEC):
The most neglected areas of India
are the seven sisters of the east.
The Naxals affect the
development almost similarly to
the Terrorists. The integrity of our
country breaks and so does
Growth in positive sense.

12. Resource Rich
Regions: India
• Purvanchal Region
• North Eastern Plateau
Region
• Coastal/Hilly Regions

13. Border Area Regions
• States of Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Subsequently, Jammu
and Kashmir..
• Need for balanced development of the sensitive border areas in
the western region through provision of infrastructure facilities
and promotion of a sense of security among the local
population.

14. Per Capita Income
• Sikkim
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Mizoram
• Arunachal Pradesh
• Nagaland
• Manipur
• Meghalaya
• Tripura
• Goa
• Jammu & Kashmir
• Himachal Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• Assam
• Jharkhand
• Chattisgarh
• Orissa
• Bihar
• Punjab
• Haryana
• Madhya Pradesh

15. INDIA
• Diverse conditions:
Need to tackle
different problems
regionally.
• Central governance
is not too strong, thus
need for a systems
approach.
• Need to set definite
goals region-wise.

16. Small & Medium Towns: India awakening..
• Until 70’s rural development was agro. development.
• 80’s – ‘a strategy designed to improve the socio-economic life of a
specific group of people – the rural poor. Concerns were
• The deepening rural poverty.
• Changing concept of development.
• Emergence of diversified rural economy.
• Non-income dimensions of poverty recognized.
• Today – Inclusive development, Regional development.
• Goes beyond growth, income and output. IDSMT, UIDSSMT..
• Quality of life – health, education, nutrition, living conditions,
reduction in gender inequalities..

17. Infrastructure (electricity and productive end-uses, telecommunication, transport and
drinking water and sanitation) is a necessary and critical ingredient for the
economic growth and decline of absolute poverty..
• 18% of villages don’t have electricity and 46% of households are not
covered – leads to no lighting, no productive end uses thus minimal
economic activity – Requires Rs 1,07,823 crores for full coverage;
average annual investments for last two decades is Rs 8,800 crores
• Telecommunication – 1.9 per hundred of population; 98% of villages
have public telephones but this is not sufficient; Rs 92,690 crores for
full coverage; BSNL average annual budget Rs 2,700 crores
• 44% of rural population not covered by road network and
transportation; Rs 15, 643 crores for full coverage; average annual
investments Rs 2,133 crores
• 95% of rural population have access to some sort of drinking water
source. The operation and maintenance is poor due to lack of funds.
India’s SMT Infrastructure Statistics

18. SMT Development programs..
 Gandhian notion of Community Development Programme:
• Rural upliftment and reconstruction
• 19 Point programme – Khadi & Village, Industries, Sanitation, Health
care, Economic equity, Communal Harmony, Education, Women
Empowerment..
 Panchayti Raj Institutions:
• Three tier system of local Govt. –
• Gram Panchayat (Village level), Panchayat Samiti (Block level), Zilla
Parishad (District level)
• The three-tier system aimed to link Govt. and elected representative.
• To decentralize decision making & shift decision making closer to people
and encourage their participation.
• To place Bureaucracy under people’s control

19. SMT Development programs..
Integrated Rural Development Programme:
• IRDP introduced in 1979 for rural poor and weaker sections of society
• Earlier Programmes relied on delivery systems which suppressed self-reliance
• Shift from community development. to schematized planning
• Linkage between infrastructure and employment scheme drawn
• Programme design has credit based self- employment activity and not as subsidy
distribution exercise
• Decentralization of programme implementation through DRDA and Block
Authority
• Sub schemes –
• Development. Of women and children (DWCRA),
• Training of Rural Youth for Self -employment (TRYSEM),
• National Rural Employment Programme (NREP),
• Jawahar Rojgar Yojana (JRY)

20. SMT Development programs..
Between 1990 & Present Phase:
• Liberal economic policies and reforms introduced in the early 1990s
• Driven by rapid growth in the manufacturing and service sectors
• Growth rate in agriculture has declined since 1997 and remains low.
• The share of agriculture in GDP has declined from 43% in 1970 to
22% in 2004.
• Public investment in irrigation has fallen..

21. Central schemes for SMT development:
· Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): This is a scheme launched and fully
sponsored by the Central Government of India. The main objective of the scheme is to
connect all the habitations with more than 500 individuals residing there, in the rural
areas by the means of weatherproof paved roads.
· Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY): This was implemented as a total
package with all the characteristics of self employment such as proper training,
development of infrastructure, planning of activities, financial aid, credit from banks,
organizing self help groups, and subsidies.
· Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY): This scheme aims at increasing the food
protection by the means of wage employment in the rural areas which are affected by the
calamities after the appraisal of the state government and the appraisal is accepted by the
Ministry of Agriculture.
· Indira Awaas Yojana (Rural Housing): This scheme puts emphasis on providing
housing benefits all over the rural areas in the country.

22. Industrial growth in Gobindgarh, Punjab, India.
The town is located on the GT road, 270 km north-west of delhi and 35 km from
Rajpura, another industrial town in the state..
Case Studies..
Gobindgarh

23. Growth of SMT & Industrial dispersal…
• Population redistribution through three phases of population change: (a)
replacement of a large number of Muslims by the non-Muslims at the time of
partition in 1947; (b) population redistribution during 1947-66 mainly with
extension of irrigation facilities and reclamation of new agricultural lands; and (c)
spatial containment of the population due to a check on agricultural out-migration
since its reorganisation in 1966.
• Green Revolution in the 1960s gave a boost to agro-processing activities in
Punjab. This led to a growth in the demand for agricultural implements and the
consequent establishment of a number of engineering units. Economic prosperity
of the people also led to investment in dwelling units and infrastructural facilities
which was behind the increase in demand for steel and engineering products in
construction linked activities.
• The growth of small and medium scale industries in Punjab in the post-
Independence period has a distinct regional pattern. The major factor behind this
growth process is the emergence of an urban industrial corridor along the
Ludhiana, Jalundhar and Amritsar highways.

24. Policy Boost..
Annual exponential
growth rates of the
population in the
town of Gobindgarh
& Punjab.
• The policy of the GOI to make steel products available to producers in
distant regions at uniform prices in the post-Independence period. This
helped the units located away from the integrated steel plants since under
this policy, the government absorbed a part of the freight. The units in the
towns in Punjab, therefore, got a de-facto subsidy on the cost of
transportation, which was as high as about 10 per cent of the price of steel.
• Gobindgarh was one of the major beneficiaries of the policy since steel
production there became highly cost-effective. As a consequence, the steel
rolling mills grew in number and capacity during the first three decades
after Independence.

25. Provision of basic amenities & Infrastructure
• Water Supply: The town depends on underground water extracted
through eleven tube wells operated by the MC. Three quarters of the
households in Gobindgarh enjoy the tap water facility. Most of the
industries have their own water supply system through tube wells,
reducing the pressure on the local body.
• Sewerage: The sewerage system in the town covers 90 percent of
the area and population. The total length of the sewerage line is
about 79 km. At present, there is no proposal to extend the system,
as the MC believes that it is covering almost the entire city. There is
no sewer treatment plant as yet. The sewage is released untreated
into an open "nallah", which at times is used for irrigation.
Discharge systems for industrial effluents and storm water are also
connected with the sewerage lines.

26. Provision of basic amenities & Infrastructure
• Electricity: The Punjab State Electricity Board provides electricity
to the town covering residential, commercial and industrial units.
About 96 percent of the households have a power connection. All
the streets, bazaars, parks and roads including the GT road are well
lit. There is a proposal by the MC to put all the wires and cables of
electricity underground.
• Roads: Gobindgarh is well connected by roads to the neighbouring
towns and cities namely, Fatehgarh Saheb, Rajpura, Chandigarh,
Sirhund, Ambala, Amloh, Khanna, Morinda etc. The GT road passes
through the centre of the town as well as a broad guage railway line.

27. Provision of basic amenities & Infrastructure
• Land & Housing: In Gobindgarh, no major housing project has been
taken up so far by the private or public sector. No state level agency has
launched a project for developing and disposing residential plots in the
town or neighbouring areas. This can possibly be attributed to the lack of
demand for housing as the town has a large number of migrant
populations, for whom housing is a low priority.
Education & Health: The number of schools, thus, has not kept pace with
the fast growing population in the town, possibly due to the migrant
workers not putting up a demand for educational facilities. Besides these,
there is an Arts and Science college and a separate Girls’ College in the
town, which provides education up to graduation level. To cater to the
needs of technical manpower requirements of Steel re-rolling mills, the
National Institute of Secondary Steel Technology (NISST) was established
in 1990. There is also a college offering management courses. However,
people prefer to go to the nearby towns of Khanna and Sirhind for higher
education.

28. Conclusions & generalizations..

29. 2. Small Town Development (Malkapur) due to a Medium town
growth centre (Karad, Satara District, Maharashtra, India)..
Case Studies..

30. Location of Malkapur wrt. Karad, Dist Satara..
KARAD CITY
MALKAPUR

31. Malkapur
Landuse
• The current census
(2001) population of
Malkapur Municipal
Corporation is 22,392.
Expected 2011 is
36,000; 2026 is 75,000
and 2036 is 1,26,000.
• The density has
increased three-fold
from 2192 persons/ sq.
km in 1991 to 4644
persons/ sq. km in
2001.
• Area under Malkapur
municipal Council is 9
sq. km.

32. Development of Malkapur as a satellite town of
Karad city..
• Agriculture
• Open Spaces
• Hill Areas
• Facilities
• Economy
• City Plng.
• AGRO
based
• Other
• Social
• Water
• Power
• Sewage
• Transport
Infra MIDC
Land-
Use
HDI

33. Social Infrastructure: Education,
Hospital vs. Housing

34. 24X7 Water Supply Scheme:

35. Ecology & Environment

36. Transportation

37. Agriculture..

38. Indian States
ranking by
Human
Development
Index
(HDI)
Small Towns:
A: < 20,000
B: 20 to 50,000
C: 50,000 to1L
Medium Towns:
D: 1L to 3L
E: 3L to 5L
Large Towns:
Above 5L
Source: 2008
Meghalaya Human
Development Report

39. Inferences..
• There is no relation between Urbanization and Human Development
Index. Kerala ranking first has a very even distribution, whereas
Mizoram & Goa ranking second & third have high percentage of
urbanization (abt. 85%). The Relation lies mostly within Regional
analysis.
• The changes in the settlement hierarchy are primarily due to the
towns in lower categories entering the next higher category as a
consequence of the natural growth of population. Unfortunately,
however, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number
of urban centres, especially at the lower levels, through
transformation of rural settlements.

40. • Cities with more than 1,00,000 people have a large share of workers in
manufacturing compared to other urban centres. Being linked to the
national or global economy, they usually experience high and stable
demographic growth. The small and medium towns, exhibit a low and
fluctuating growth, which can be attributed to their poor and uncertain
economic base and failure to attract private investment from within or
outside the country.
• People in small and medium towns in India, particularly those with less
than 50,000 people, have low per capita income due to lack of
employment opportunities in the organised sector, low incidence of
secondary activities and poverty induced growth of tertiary employment.
The percentage of people below the poverty line increases systematically
as one goes down the population size categories.
Inferences..

41. Conclusions…
• Urbanization should mean moderate dense, multi nodal, almost self
sustainable regions.
• A need to solve Literacy/Education shortages as a priority.
Employment, poverty/standard of life and many problems in the
forefront on the way to development can get solved simultaneously.
• Energy sector also needs to be prioritized as India is a developing
country.
• Development refers mostly to basic Infrastructural facilitation.
Economy follows HDI.
• There is a need to realize the Identity of a place than depending on
foreign notions of Growth.

42. Thank u for Listening…
Omkar Parishwad
School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal
+91 9922952801
parishwad.omkar@gmail.com