Urbanization in Changing Environment With Reference to Manipur

Everywhere in the world, there is rapid and irreversible urbanization rate and cities are at the forefront for development activities. The modern world is increasingly an urban world. Urbanization is a progressive driving force for positive change and considered the epitome of society. However, as a result of rapid urbanization, every developing country faces acute problems of sever strains on civic amenities, slums and squatter settlements. The urban growth of towns and cities in India has not been absorbed as planned changed. There is also uncontrolled and unchannelized urban pattern in the North East India where nearly 15 per cent of the total populations live in 254 towns and cities in 2001. Manipur, a landlocked state has 33 towns, out of which 31 towns concentrate in the central valley which is about one-tenth of the total area and is recorded 26.58 per cent of urbanization in 2001. A very less number of urban centres are distributed in hill areas of state that clearly shows disparity in development between hills and plain. Imphal, the capital city enjoys the primacy keeping other towns in sluggish growth. The city is beautiful and has interesting morphology in which ‘Kangla’, this historical relic is in the middle city core from where roads radiate out appearing as a spider web. The urban land use spreads outward, more rapidly along the roads but the city faces traffic congestion, pollutions, urban flood, acute shortages of water supply, electric power etc. Socially, the city and its surrounding areas are also not free from insurgency and HIV/AIDS menace. The city area is put under active renovation of JNNURM however, unplanned growth in and around of Greater Imphal is vividly seen with changing fertile paddy fields to built-up land and filling up of wet lands.