por Gabrielle Keane hace 15 años
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Mumbai, India
Mumbai, often called the financial heart of India, has a rich history rooted in its strategic importance for trade and industry, catalyzed by the East India Company in the 18th century.
por Gabrielle Keane hace 15 años
1238
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India is one of the most urbanized countries in South Asia, hosting the world city Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Catalyzed by the establishment of the East India Company in the eighteenth century, the city quickly became a primary center of industry and trade. Today in the age of globalization, Mumbai is crucial to India’s economy, functioning as a basis for many multinational corporations and the center of the country’s film and television industry. Nonetheless, modernization has confronted this megacity with numerous challenges. With a population nearing 13 million inhabitants occupying an area of approximately 170 square miles and a growth rate of 4.2% annually, it is one of the most populous regions of the world. Many subsequent issues have arisen, including housing, congestion in the streets, poverty, and employment. The government, non-government organizations, and the private sector have taken measures to address these difficulties, but as the city’s problems evolve with globalization, so do the dynamics of their potential resolutions.
Sources:
http://www.megacitiesproject.org/network_mumbai.asp
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/trading/bombay/history.html
http://mmrdamumbai.org/projects_muip.htm
Cities of the World textbook
Overpopulation and lack of investment in transport infrastructure over the years has stretched this megacity's transport networks to crisis levels. At any given time, pedestrians compete for road space with a dizzying variety of vehicles: buses, cars, trucks, three-wheel auto-rickshaws, hand-pulled carts and, of course, the occasional cow. Public transportation isn't much better. The Mumbai Suburban Rail System is known as the lifeline of Mumbai, carrying about 64 lakhs (6.4 million) passengers per day. During peak hours; 4700 passengers are traveling in a 9-car rake with a rated carrying capacity of only 1,700. A transportation crisis in the commercial and financial capital of India has staggering social and economic costs—a 3% GDP loss to road crashes every year and more than 100,000 deaths in 2006.
Sources:
http://www.arrivesafe.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7431714.stm
http://www.mmrdamumbai.org/
Vokmann, Krister et. al. "Public problems--private solutions?: Globalising cities in the South"
http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images/long-copy-billboard (image)
In addition, the Indian Non-Governmental Organization ArriveSafe dedicates itself to on the development of road safety programs to increase knowledge, awareness and skills amongst all types of road users. ArriveSafe also works closely with the Mumbai Traffic Police who are continually coming up with creative initiatives to promote safety, public transportation, and enforcement of traffic rules.
In November 2002, The World Bank approved a $542 loan towards the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) with the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra, funding the remaining $403 million. The MUTP will invest in suburban railway projects, local bus transport, new roads, bridges, pedestrian subways, traffic management activities, and resettlement of displaced peoples. The MUTP has been called "an innovation in urban partnerships" as the public sector, the private sector, and the voluntary sector join forces to create a better Mumbai. The project is expected to close by January 2010. To counter the traffic crisis in the city, the state government has launched the Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP) with the assistance of The World Bank in 2003. As a supplement to the MUTP, the MUIP will focus on road network improvements and an efficient traffic dispersal system in Greater Mumbai. In particular, lanes specifically dedicated to buses and fast traffic, road widening and improvement, and the construction of flyovers.
Housing shortages are all too common in South Asia, especially Mumbai. The housing shortage is considerably due to large-scale in-migration and a relatively lower rate of new residential construction. Demand for housing is high, and those that cannot afford to rent or buy homes often turn to the pavement. People form communities on the pavement and along railroad areas; these areas are referred to as slums, referred to as chawls in Mumbai. The Slum Areas Act of 1954 defined slums as “predominantly residential areas where dwellings (by reason of dilapidation; overcrowding; faulty arrangement; and lack of ventilation, light, or sanitary facilities—or any combination of these) are detrimental to safety, health and morality.” It is estimated that about 60% of Mumbai’s population lives in the slums.
Sources:
www.npr.org/templates/story.story.php?storyId=10089935
www.sparcindia.com
Cities of the World textbook
http://www.sdinet.org/galleries/india_gal4.html (image)
NSDF has partnered with two other NGOs, Society for the Promotion Area Resource Center (SPARC) and Mahila Milan. Each NGO tackles a different aspect of the problem. NSDF organizes and mobilizes the slum dwellers; they also negotiate with resource providing institutions. Mahila Milan, which means “women together” in Hindi, prepares “women’s collectives to administer and manage their communities resources.” SPARC handles all of the administration, financial, documentation, policy, and other support necessary to carry the project to completion.
NSDF was founded in the mid-70s but did not begin to make an impact until 1984 with the founding of SPARC. Mahila Milan joined the team in 1986. Combined, the three NGOs are known as The Alliance. The Alliance works in approximately 70 cities, including Mumbai, has worked with over 500,000 households, and has given out many thousands in loans to impoverished women.
In an effort to improve conditions, the government performed slum “clearance” through the 1950s, that is, they bulldozed the slums. This was very ineffective, due to the fact that the slum dwellers would then move to another location to build new slums.
Today, the government has hired a private architect, Mukesh Mehta. Mehta is focusing on Dharavi, one of the most densely populated areas of Mumbai. Mehta’s goal is to build luxury apartments and offices for profit. These apartments and offices would be required to supply free housing for the slum dwellers. He also wants private schools to move to the area to provide free education for the slum children. In this plan both the developers and the government would profit.
There are many people that oppose this plan, such as Jockin Arputham, the president and founder of National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF). NSDF is an NGO that believes the city should be build from the bottom up, meaning it should be built to the preferences of the slum dwellers, and by default, it will benefit everyone.
One of the challenges in Mumbai is poverty, mostly in the form of inadequate housing and lack of public services, like clean water and sewers, a lack of employment opportunities and environmental degradation.
Mumbai is the centre for e-commerce and India's financial centre. There are also major industries like car manufacturing and Bollywood. Mumbai is India's largest city with a population of 13 million. The city's population has doubled in 25 years, with half living in slums. In some areas the population density is 50,000 people per square kilometer.
Some of the problems of poverty include the following:
Sources:
www.npr.org
www.care.org
www.telegraph.co.uk
http://mumbaionline.in/Profile/Data/
https://www.cia.gov/library
www.careindia.org
www.pbs.org
www.citymayors.com/government/india_government.html
Cities of the World textbook
http://mumbaimoments.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/mumbai-poverty-21 (image)
Recently slum neighborhoods were razed, making 400,000 people homeless to make space for business development. Mumbai Urban Development Project (MUDP) is the government body responible for redevelopment of Mumbai. There are many governmental projects on line, including improvements in suburban railway services in terms of efficiency and capacity, but space for expansion remains a significant issue. The city faces a problem that more than half of its 13 million people live in slums. The government has a plan to let private developers build projects for the rich in exchange for free housing, schools and health clinics for the poor. But this faces opposition from stakeholders such as long-time residents, complexifying the resolution.
The wealth gap between the rich and the poor in Mumbai often results in violent crimes.
Murders and other violent crimes occur in Mumbai, but for the most part they are isolated to high density areas such as slums. There have been a few reports of western companies being the recipients of extortion threats by organized crime elements. HIV/AIDS education of the sex workers is promoted by CARE India. They have been equipped with requisite skills for articulating their needs.
Muslims are ~12% of India population and are a big part of the poverty class, with high rates of illiteracy and unemployment. In the Mumbai bombings of 2008, a Pakistani terrorist group was implicated in this attack.
A sense of social injustice has created fertile ground for conflict and religious fanaticism. This results in investors in new business being cautious about putting money into the city. The government of India has led a major campaign for international pressure on Islamabad to crack down on militants based in Pakistan, but within Mumbai itself there is still major tension between Muslims and Hindus. One of the worst acts of violence was the bombing of seven commuter trains within 15 minutes in July 2006. About 180 people were killed and another 700 injured. An Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Qahhar, claimed responsibility for the tragedy. In addition, the Mumbai bombings of 2008 that were carried out by a Pakistani based Islamic group.
With a rapid rate of population growth, there is a growing underclass that results in high poverty rates. India's government is trying to improve the social and physical conditions of the urban poor by developing the road and utility infrastructure. In addition, it is working on education and health, together with efforts for microfinancing of small businesses. Many NGO’s are trying to harness the business abilities of the poor. Many NGOs work with women to identify their needs - from literacy and training to housing, health care and jobs - and to put them in charge of managing their own development. NGOs supports women's self help groups and their federations, helping poor women access credit in small, easily repayable installments through its microfinance program CASHE, which encourages poor women to pool their savings.
Even though Mumbai may be the commercial and financial center of India, not everyone benefits. The rich and educated work the well-paying jobs, like information technology (IT), while the poor work in the agricultural industry and earn less than $2 per day. These days, the vast majority of Indians are taking the skilled jobs, but the poor have to deal with the high cost of living and their non-dynamic income. The unskilled and semi-skilled workers take labor-intensive jobs and other blue collar jobs to be able to support themselves and their families. From 2006 to 2007, basic produce, such as lime, has doubled, but incomes have stayed the same, and many people are worried how and when this will change. The educated and skilled workers, on the other hand, have the advantage because they are employed for their skills in engineering, health care, diamond polishing, and IT.
Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/nbr/
http://mumbaionline.in/Profile/Economy/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/
http://www.tiss.edu/
Cities of the World textbook
http://www.indiadaily.org/images/call-centers-india_26 (image)
As for the Non-Governmental Organizations, under the Global Labour University, there are NGO’s like the Tata Institute of Social Sciences that does research and engages in promoting and protecting dignity and equality for all. This school also provides equal opportunities for all sorts of people to attend. They focus on the issues at hand, like successfully dealing with the changes of social realities, which can help others to deal with the challenges of globalization. This university can be able to make it easier for the poor people of Mumbai to get jobs and possible Unions, so that they’ll have a better working environment and more jobs.
In the private sector, companies like Mahindra & Mahindra, a Mumbai based car company, have taken advantage Detroit’s auto company downfall and are literally using what the American companies are casting off. Mahindra & Mahindra are working with Global Vehicles, an American auto importer, to be able to create fuel efficient and compact trucks that can rival against the Toyota Tacoma and the Ford Ranger. This new creation of business will create jobs for all in the economy because the company plans to set up a larger network.
The government is working to correct this issue of inequality in employment by spending money to improve education and make it more accessible for the poor people so they have the opportunity to receive better jobs in the future. Not only that, but the government is working on the city’s infrastructure to slowly close the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
