Page 311 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes year 1991, the urban density was highest in the state of West Bengal followed by Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab. States of Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Jammu
and Kashmir, Orissa, Bihar and Rajasthan had densities less than the all India average of
3,370 in 1991 also. Thus, when we look at the census figures we can see that the variation
in terms of the urban density continued to the year 1991 almost unchanged.
(iii) Population concentration in the cities
The population in the larger urban centres (with 1,00,000 or more) has constantly been
growing in India. In 1981 more than 60 per cent of the urban population in India lived in
this category of cities. By 1991 their rate reached almost 65 per cent. Out of the total number
of towns, according to the 1991 census, in 300 the population exceeds 1,00,000 each. These
300 urban agglomeration/cities account for 64.89 per cent of the urban population of the
country. In the case of Maharashtra and West Bengal the share of Class 1 urban
agglomerations/cities in the urban population is high, being 77.85 per cent and 81.71 per
cent respectively. Class 1 urban agglomeration/cities contribute about two thirds of the
urban population in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya
and Tamil Nadu.
(iv) Growth of Metropolitan Cities
In India, Kolkata was the only city with a population of over a million in 1901. Mumbai
crossed the one million mark by 1911. Till 1941 there were only these two cities in this
category, i.e., with a population of over one million. Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad entered
into this category by 1951. Ahmedabad and Bangalore by 1961, and Kanpur and Pune by
1971. Lucknow, Nagpur and Jaipur by 1981 crossed the one million mark bringing the
number of million-plus cities upto 12. At the time of 1991 census enumeration there were
23 metropolitan agglomerations/ cities with a population of more than a million each.
The number almost doubled during the decade 1981-1991. Its number has been increased
to 35 at the time of 2001 census. At the time of 1981 census 25 per cent of the total urban
population was concentrated in the million plus cities. By the year 1991 this has become
32.54 per cent. That means that these cities in 1991 accounted for roughly one third of the
country’s urban population and one twelfth of the country’s total population.
In 1981 barring Delhi which forms part of the Union Territory of Delhi, the remaining 11
cities are located in 8 states. In 1991, the 23 metropolitan cities were scattered among 13
states in India. But their concentration was more in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
and Uttar Pradesh, each having 3 such metropolitan cities. Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh have two each and 7 were distributed among Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab,
Rajasthan, West Bengal and Delhi. In Kolkata the concentration of urban population was
higher than other metropolitan cities for the decade 1971-81. This was followed by
Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The 23 metropolitan cities exhibited quite a
diversified pattern of growth of population during 1981-1991. Of these metropolitan cities
the highest growth of population was recorded in Visakhapatanam urban agglomeration
(74.27 per cent) followed by Hyderabad urban agglomeration (67.04 per cent), both of
which are in Andhra Pradesh, The lowest growth rate was recorded by Kolkata urban
agglomeration (18.73 per cent) followed by Patna urban agglomeration. Kolkata urban
agglomeration which occupied the prime position since 1901 in terms of highest
concentration of urban population relegated to the second position in 1991 and Greater
Mumbai which occupied the second position since 1901 has been moved to the prime
position in 1991. Kolkata was followed by Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. In
1988, while describing the glaring disparities that marked the Indian urban scene, the
National Commission on Urbanisation stated two main aspects: (a) while the urban centres
in India grew at an average rate of 46.2 per cent during the 1970s, the million-plus
metropolitan centres had an average growth rate of population only 29.6 per cent during
the same period, and (b) the significant regional variation in the nature of urbanisation
process. Indeed, spatially the pattern of Indian urbanisation has been highly localised.

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