5. Changing Socio-Economic Profile of Urbanised Villages (Census Towns) in Gujarat

The results of the field exploration (15 census towns selected as case studies) unravelling changes taking place in the rural/urban economic structure, migration/commuting trends, social and environmental impacts of urbanisation are elaborated in this chapter. The stress areas particularly where negative externalities are emerging are identified. Cognizance was made of the agro-ecological conditions while selecting the case studies, besides the locational aspects (proximity to cities, spatially diffused location, along an industrial corridor, a transportation route, tribal belt, or agriculturally developed hinterland). The chapter provides a descriptive view of the status of infrastructure development and amenities, economic base and employment, details of agriculture, etc. in the case studies. The nature of linkages with the surrounding regions and the nearby larger urban centres are explored, besides the role of government programmes in the development of the town. The governance mechanism, constraints and the willingness of the residents to become a statutory urban centre are probed. The narrative brought forth underlying features of the rural transformation and urbanisation in the state, that also have relevance to the country at large. In Gujarat role of large scale industrial enterprises in the economic transition of villages is dominant. Government schemes like MNREGA have played a limited role in either the creation of productive assets or in generating rural employment. The census towns nearly everywhere are facing haphazard growth and inadequate amenities. Clearly the variegated latent factors responsible for the emergence of census towns in Gujarat are not dormant and are increasingly becoming dynamic in explaining the towns’ growth and change in character. The residents are apprehensive about negative fallouts of a changed statutory status notably, rise in corruption, increasing insensitivity of the municipal machinery to local issues and enhancement of social evils. Towns with a substantial revenue base did not desire a statutory status for fear of losing out on resources.