Page 310 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Unit 14: Social Change in Contemporary India

Sub-urbanisation Notes
Closely related to over-urbanisation of a town is a feature called sub-urbanisation. When towns
get over-crowded by population, it may result in sub-urbanisation. Delhi is a typical example
(among others) where sub urbanisation trend is taking place around it. Sub-urbanisation means
urbanisation of rural areas around the towns characterised by the following features:
(a) a sharp increase in the ‘urban (non-agricultural) uses’ of land
(b) inclusion of surrounding areas of town within its municipal limits, and
(c) intensive communication of all types between town and its surrounding areas. Now, we
can also look at some of the variations in spatial disparities found in the pattern of
urbanisation in India.
(i) The Growth of Towns and Cities
The growth of urban towns did not show a unidirectional progress in India. Because of
the variation in the census definition of ‘urban’ areas the number of urban centres declined.
Only 1,430 towns out of a total of 1,914 towns existing in 1901 survived till 1961. About
480 areas considered as towns in 1901 lost their urban status because of the new definition
of town in 1961 census. It is for this reason that one can see the decrease in the number of
towns to 2700 in 1961 compared to 3060 in 1951. For example, in Rajasthan there were 227
towns in 1951, whereas this number declined to 201 in 1981. Similar decline has also been
noticed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In the 1991 census 4,689 places
were identified as towns as against 4,029 in 1981 census. Out of the 4,689 towns of 1991 as
many as 2,996 were statutory towns and 1,693 were census or non-municipal towns as
against 2,758 and 1,271 respectively in 1981. At the all India level, 93 of the 4029 towns of
1981 census were declassified and 103 towns were fully merged with other towns by
statutory notifications of the concerned state/union territory administrations during 1981-
1991. As many as 856 new towns were added to the urban frame of 1991. The maximum
number of towns declassified were from the states of Punjab (21), Karnataka (19), and
Andhra Pradesh (13) and the maximum number of the statutory towns added in 1991
census was from Madhya Pradesh (91).
(ii) Variation in Urbanisation among the States
The pattern of urbanisation among different states in India shows an interesting feature
of urban domination in some states. Five states namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh altogether accounted for 56 per cent (in 1961) to
55 per cent (in 1971) of the total urban population of India. In contrast the six states of
Orissa, Haryana, Assam (including Meghalaya), Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and Nagaland account for 5 per cent (in 1961) to 5.5 per cent (in 1971) of the total urban
population of India. In 1991 census some of the states having a higher proportion of urban
population to the total population than the national average of 25.72 per cent were
Maharashtra (35.73 per cent), Gujarat (34.40 per cent), Tamil Nadu (34.20 per cent) and
West Bengal (27.39 per cent). As per the Census 2001, Tamil Nadu (43.9 per cent) is the
most urbanised state followed by Maharashtra (42.4 per cent) and Gujarat (37.4 per cent).
The proportion of the urban population is lowest in Bihar with 10.5 per cent followed by
Assam (12.7 per cent) and Orissa (14.9 per cent). Himachal Pradesh is the least urbanised
state. These show that the urban domination in some states continues to exist even at the
beginning of twenty first century.
Between 1961 and 1971 the pattern of urban density for Indian states shows somewhat
similar trends. The states of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam and Kerala have
densities higher than the all India average of 2948 persons per sq. km in 1961. A similar
trend was found in 1971 also. States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Jammu
and Kashmir, Orissa, Bihar and Rajasthan had densities less than the all India average of
2,048 in 1961. The 1971 census reflected the same trend that was seen in 1961, with respect
to the above mentioned states. Urban density for Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam
lessened, during 1961-71 decade, possibly because of outward migration of people. In the

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