Push and pull factors operating for the emergence of slums in India

With the increasing urban population, the number of cities having a population over one million has increased from 23 to 25 in just one decade. Among them, the greater Mumbai is the largest one with 16.4 million people. Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat and Kanpur have more than two million populations. Slum growth is a major feature of Indian cities. 26 states and  Union Territories have reported the presence of slums in 607 towns and cities in the country. According to a survey, the total slum population is about 23% of the urban population. The largest slum population is in Greater Munbai which accommodates about 6% of the total population of Maharashtra, which registered a slum population of 10.64 million.

Development of slums in cities in India is supported by push factors operating at village sides and pull factors operating at metropolitan areas. Even after 60 years of independence conditions of rural people have not improved, and villages are underdeveloped. Lack of employment, poor amenities and poor development are the push factors operating in the village areas, which are forcing people to leave their residences to get a job for survival (rural migration-major cause of slum growth). As a result large number of migration taking place all over the country from rural areas to the metropolitan areas, which are the centre of employment, economic development, better life amenities, etc. These facilities of metropolitan cities are acting as a pull factor for rural people. This migration of people is causing rapid urbanisation in conjunction with industrialization and finally resulting in the growth of slums. These slums are adversely affecting the society and environment of urban areas (harmful impact of slums).

These slums are one or two-room hutments mostly occupying government and public lands. These houses in slums are made up of mud or brick walls, low roofs mostly covered with corrugated sheets, tins, bamboo mats, polythene, etc. They are devoid of windows and any source of ventilation, public utility services and are in extremely unhygienic conditions. These slums are totally isolated from the rest of the urban society and exhibit pathological social symptoms like drug abuse, alcoholism, crime, vandalism and other deviant behaviour.

The slums in India are now a different culture. The slum dwellers are trapped in a complex situation; they can not come out of this mess, as they do not have any other option, only to live there, and the new slum generation, which is born in these slums, is reluctant to come out of it; they are happy with the way they are. Tell them to study, and they will say why to study when we are earning thousand rupees by begging. This is a kind of mental problem; their mentality has been trapped, they have become lazy and don't want to do hard work. They have developed various shortcuts to earn money, and most of them are illegal. It needs a great social movement to improve the condition of these people, and it needs strong political will, proper planning and its implementation to cure this culture. Their mentality should be cured. They don't want to come out of the mess, but we will have to take them out.