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Journalism of Courage
Monsoon fury has exposed the rotten core of Urban India with an eloquence that no academic report could have mustered. As city after Indian city keels over in conditions of above average rainfall 8212; Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Visakhapatnam, the list grows apace 8212; it is clear that blaming the weather gods is not enough. India is today confronting an urban nightmare. Its urban population is the second largest, after that of China 8212; and is growing at a faster rate than China8217;s. Its urban infrastructure has not only not kept pace with this growth, it is in a state of advanced disrepair. About a quarter of this population lives in squatter colonies and more then half of urbanites today have no access to proper toilets. Water and power are in short supply, sewage lines 8212; where they exist 8212; are choked, and roads are often apologies for themselves.
Those whose responsibility it was to plan for our cities and administer to their needs have ended up treating them as milch cows. Even as they drew political mileage out of pitting Rural India against Urban India, they have not been shy of exploiting the wealth generated by urban centres, giving very little in return. Mumbai and Bangalore, both huge revenue spinners for their respective governments, were cynically driven to the ground. Those governments which attempted some reform found themselves hitting a wall of non-cooperation very quickly. The Delhi government8217;s attempts to reform its power sector is a case in point. A rash of well-heeled and vocal residents, faced with a modest hike in power tarrifs after a reasonable spell, refused to pay up. They went on dharnas and TV studio hopping sessions to drive home their right to subsidised power. They got their demand, but ultimately it will be the city that pays the bill.
