In India and in the United States, the new census numbers are out. And, while back in my home state we have depressing headlines like these to contend with: 'Population drastically declines in Ohio cities,' here in Bangalore, exactly the opposite trend is at work [full disclosure: I have personally contributed to both demographic trends].
84.74 lakh and counting in Bangalore
BANGALORE: It's almost official. The estimated population for BBMP's 198 wards as per the 2011 census is 84.74 lakh, up from 45.92 lakh ten years ago. There are more men than women — 44 lakh and 40 lakh respectively. The estimate falls short of BBMP's 2010 projection of 94 lakh based on the growth rate. "Considering the rising congestion across the city, we expected the numbers to go beyond 1 crore but it's about 15 lakh less. Therefore, Bangalore remains a B class city," senior BBMP officials told The Times of India.
That is to say between 2000 and 2010, Bangalore's population increased from 4.6 million to 8.5 million people! It's as if nearly the entire population of Norway or Finland had been added to Bangalore over 10 years, or seven Helsinkis, or four Stockholms. In the history of humankind, has a city ever grown on such a massive scale as this? Clearly population decline is bad for a city, and a vibrant city should have a healthy growth rate, but is it possible to have too much of a good thing? How will infrastructure and public services possibly keep up with such explosive growth?
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