Can we restrict Mumbai’s population?

By A.T. Bureau
Almost one crore and fifty lakh is the Mumbai’s population and growing at a very rapid pace day by day. The rapid development, employment and good infrastructure are inviting people to migrate into this great city. Problem is suffocating atmosphere of Mumbai. The problem is not new. Almost 50 years back city’s fathers had identified the problem.
Question today is about optimum population size of Mumbai. In 1948 the Modak Mayer Plan had suggested 13 lakh as a ceiling for the island’s population and 31 lakhs for the whole of Greater Mumbai. The Study Group on Greater Mumbai, who reviewed the question in 1958, viewed with alarm any increase in the population of Mumbai island over the then existing size of over 25 lakhs and suggested the immediate setting up of measures for decongesting the island.
In 1966, the Gadgil Committee suggested a ceiling of 55 lakhs for the whole of island, while the development plan of Greater Mumbai, which was finalized in 1967, was worked out on the basis of a population of 70 lakhs by 1981. The primary consideration for deciding the optimum population should not be the physical availability of land or ad hoc figures about gross or net densities. The total gross area zoned for residential purposes in Greater Mumbai according to development Plan by BMC is about 16,690 hectares. Merely on the basis of the physical availability of land, the Greater Mumbai can accommodate about a crore of people on the basis of current trend in FSI grants.
Sena leader Mr. Udhav Thakarey rightly raised the issue and on time. We are nearly half more then acceptable figure.
Authorities are there to give good civic infrastructure. Their resources are limited. Government is helpless. Citizens are deprived of their Right to Liberty. The constitutional Crises are acute. Nobody or authority can stop a citizen of India to stay and franchise his rights in Mumbai. Mumbai is part of Indian Republic. But at what cost? Citizens of this great city are dying hard. The living conditions are worst because of rising migrants. When infrastructure has totally collapsed and conditions are becoming impossible for human living, we are still looping in dark to solve the problem. Nobody is having any answer neither we have any constitutional solutions.
People must be restricted at once or infrastructure must be improved, this is the only solution one can think of.