Urban areas have been recognized as the ‘engines and drivers’ of economic growth. Urban centers fasten the growth of an economy and act as centers of knowledge and innovation, and thus, help pull people out of poverty.While cities and towns contribute 70% of India’s Gross Domestic Product, it is expected to increase to 75% by 2030. According to a government appointed High Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) Report, higher levels of per capita income are associated with higher levels of urbanization across the country.
And in the recent years, like all other states, Nagaland has witnessed an excess urban migration as the hunt for opportunities and jobs in the urban centers continue. Almost all villages have seen a significant decline in the young population and the workforce in agriculture has enormously decreased. On the other hand, urban towns and cities such as Dimapur and Kohima are already overcrowded with high unemployment and crime rates.
Urban developments have lots of challenges. These challenges come across in the form of Institutional Challenges and Infrastructural Challenges. The 74th Amendment Act has not been implemented in a way to empower Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Nagaland. The current governance structure fails to provide sufficient autonomy to urban centers. In Nagaland, the Administrator of the Municipal or Town council is only a figurehead, is not appointed by the local body, and is primarily accountable to the state government. Planning is mainly centralized and do not reflect the concerns of local dwellers. There is lack of human resources and experts to undertake planning in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). All of these factors reflect unplanned urbanization of the state.
In Mokokchung, for instance, the infrastructure inadequacies in the municipal area have led to garbage menace. No adequate steps and planning are undertaken to address congestion. Water supply and sanitation is available only to about less than 50% of the urban population. The current scenario of Urban Migration in Mokokchung will soon create a crisis of poverty and unemployment which shall also be accompanied by rising crime rates. It may be noted that migration to urban Mokokchung is not only from the rural areas of the district but also from the neighboring districts too. Mokokchung is the third major urban center in Nagaland. Owing to its strategic geographical location, Mokokchung is expected to grow faster in the next 20 years, than it did in the last fifty years. There are lessons to learn from Dimapur and Kohima. Rather than waiting for population growth to take place before framing policies, Mokokchung should move fast to frame new plans for the future and take the initiative to develop areas on the outskirts of the town. The state government should also adequately empower the urban local bodies to make sure equitable development reaches all parts of the state.
Mokokchung Times