While one decries the conditions in Deonar, I have a few questions for the writer (“On the margins in a city of dreams”, March 31). How does he justify rural migrants occupying prime land in Mumbai as squatters when the urban Mumbaikar in the same or adjoining areas has to shell out crores of rupees to buy land there? Second, given that there is drought and scarcity in villages, and migrants are continuously pouring in looking for work, the city is bound to turn into a vast, heaving shanty town. Is this what we want for the economic capital of our country? Third, with fast growing numbers of migrants, can we really demand that the city administration provide them health services, education, piped water, sanitation and everything else that it is barely able to provide for the existing population? It is imperative that we argue instead for slums in central areas to go and satellite towns be created so that the lakhs of people “who keep the city moving” can come into work every day. This is done effectively in cities like Tokyo.
Malathi Chidambaram,
Bengaluru
Our unsustainable model of development not only creates tonnes of garbage that degrade the environment but also pushes a large number of people to live in abysmal conditions. The city-centred development followed by elite India since Independence has ruined more or less sustainable village economies. The key must be to revive our villages.
Sukumaran C.V.,
Palakkad
