India is facing a worsening urban crisis marked by toxic air, weak political accountability, and failing municipal governance.

The Crisis and Political Response

• Severe Pollution: The air quality in North India and Mumbai is so poor that breathing is difficult. This contrasts sharply with cities like New York.
• Contradiction: India aims to be a Developed India by 2047, yet cannot provide basic clean air.
• Leadership Silence: Leaders are silent on this issue, which has become a National Emergency.
• Positive Development: The public is becoming aware, and air pollution has become a street issue through protests involving judges and doctors.
• Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court has observed that the Right to Clean Air falls under the Right to Life (Article 21).
• The Bharat Mata Paradox: Leaders revere India as “Bharat Mata,” but “Bharat Mata” is dirty, and they remain quiet.
• Affordable Housing Crisis: Migrants coming to cities often pay high rents (e.g., ₹7,000/month for a small room in Mumbai) or are forced to sleep in shifts or on footpaths.
• Slum Data: The 2011 Census showed that 17% of the urban population lives in slums (a number likely much higher now).

Priorities and Failures of Governance

• Leader Priorities: Leaders focus on winning elections and power games rather than public service and governance.
• Current Focus: Political parties prioritize public religious displays, such as building large temples and statues, instead of focusing on critical urban infrastructure like clean air and water.
• Historical Degradation: Four thousand years ago, during the Indus Valley Civilization, cities were planned and drains were covered. 
  • Today, India struggles with waterlogging and lives among garbage mountains, indicating degradation.
• Local Governance Failure: The core problem lies with local governance. 
  • Municipal officials often prioritize corruption over service. 
  • Illegal colonies are built through bribery, and accountability for municipal officials is virtually zero.
  • This dysfunction worsens under a pervasive VVIP culture, where local officials prioritise convoys, protocols, and ceremonial flattery over core civic duties like clean air, water, drainage, and waste management.

Way Forward

• Introduce Directly Elected Mayors: India should move towards a system of directly elected Mayors with clear executive powers to ensure accountability and swift decision-making in urban governance.
• Strengthen the 74th Constitutional Amendment: The 74th Amendment must be further strengthened to give urban local bodies real authority over planning, budgeting, infrastructure, and service delivery.
• Reduce Dependence on State Governments: Power must be devolved from Chief Ministers to city-level leadership so that urban governance is not controlled remotely by state capitals.
• Align With Global Best Practices: India can adopt elements from global models like London and New York, where empowered Mayors have delivered cleaner, more efficient, and better-managed cities.

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Conclusion

India’s quest for Ease of Living and rapid economic growth means little without clean air, safe water, and affordable housing. Treating pollution as a national emergency and ensuring corruption-free urban governance are indispensable for achieving a developed India by 2047.

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