India is currently witnessing an “infrastructure paradox.” Billions are being funneled into high-speed rail, multi-lane highways, and gleaming airports.
Yet, at the ground level, many of the country’s economic engines, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, are slipping down global liveability indexes.
In a feature for BBC News, Ankur Bisen, Senior Partner at The Knowledge Company (TKC) and author of the critically acclaimed Wasted: The Messy Story of Sanitation in India, unpacks why blazing GDP growth hasn’t translated into urban regeneration.
READ THE FULL ANALYSIS AT: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9kp2kx329o
The core of the issue, according to Bisen, lies in the systematic weakening of local governments. While the 74th Amendment aimed to decentralize power, the implementation has remained largely on paper.
“Mayors and local councils that run Indian cities are the weakest organs of the state, closest to the citizenry, but tasked with the toughest problems to solve. They are absolutely emaciated, and have limited powers to raise revenue, appoint people, allocate funds. Instead, it is the chief ministers of the states who act like super mayors and call the shots.” — Ankur Bisen
Unlike the “Mayor model” seen in China or the West, where city leaders have the executive power to drive urban planning and investment, Indian city administrators often lack the autonomy to manage the very rubbish and roads they are responsible for.
Solving urban decay requires precision data, yet India is operating on census figures that are over 15 years old. While official records might suggest a 30% urban population, real-world observations suggest nearly half the country has taken on an urban character.
“How do you even begin to solve a problem if you don’t have data on the extent and nature of urbanisation?” Bisen asks.
Without a current census (not expected until 2026), urban planning remains a reactive exercise rather than a proactive strategy.
The “Cycle of Realisation”
History shows that urban transformation often follows a crisis. Bisen points to London’s “Great Stink” of 1858, which forced the government to overhaul its sewerage system.
India may be approaching a similar inflection point where the “unliveability” of major cities gains the political currency required for genuine structural reform.
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