Number One of Nation's Health. Enough resources are not available for tackling this problem.

The position has become almost critical in the bigger metropolises in and around which industrial development has been taking place. The ready made facilities of develop ed land, water and power in the existing industrial towns was bound to attract new industry, in spite of the need and call for dispersal of industry into the undeveloped or under-developed regions.

The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad have a daily water supply of 37 million gallons whereas they need a minimum 56 million gallons. Delhi needs 130 million gallons daily whereas the Capital gets only 90 million gallons. Bombay gets a daily supply of about 217 million gallons as against its need of 315 million gallons. Calcutta's 4.2 million people have to manage somehow with a supply of 90 million gallons filtered water daily. They supplement it with an equal quantity of unfiltered water which accounts for the epidemics of cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases which are endemic in that city. According to a Calcutta University survey, 23 out of every 100 households in Calcutta do not have water taps.

Among the metropolitan towns in India that have made phenomenal expansion in the post-Independence period Bangalore occupies a foremost place. A large industrial complex, including large and important units owned by the Central Governmant and manufacturing such items as aircraft, has come into being in and around Bangalore. The water supply in Bangalore, however, has been overstraned and the position become the most critical, the per capita supply having been reduced to 13 gallons daily. Demonstrations by women of Bangalore, carrying empty pictchers, have not brought any improvement in the water supply situation in the city. A scheme to augment water supply by drawing upon Cauvery river is being considered, but it will take time to materialise.

The above picture of serious water scar

city in metropoliotan areas is farught with danger not only to the health of the people but may serve as a brake on industrial growth and production, which have already begun showing signs of slowing down. Despite the drawing up and implementation of a National Water Supply and Sanitation Programme, evidence is not wanting that the problem so far has been tackled in a most haphazard fashion. The full importance of satisfactory water supply in the developing and expanding urban areas has not been realised by those responsible for Planning in India. If they have shown any awareness of its importance, it has been mainly as a problem of public health and sanitation, not one which might affect industrial growth and development too.

The agencies for surveying, planning, procuring resources and executing the plans for augmenting water supply, and checking the pollution of existing sources of water supply have either been non-existent, or of a rudimentary character. There have been great time lags in implementing schemes, some of which were taken in hand years ago, like the scheme for augmenting Calcutta's water supply. The Joint meeting of States' Local Self Government and Town and Country Planning Ministers last September in New Delhi accepted the advice of Mr. Balwantrai Mehta, Chairman of the Drinkin Watgre Supply Board that provision of safe water supply and drainage schemes for small municipalities should be undertaken on a regional basis. This should have been done long ago.

Establishment of such a regional agency in the Calcutta Metropolitan Area was also recommended by a W. H. O. Study Team. The non-establishment of such an agency has delayed taking in hand of the emergency schemes intended to meet the present shortages on a short range basis, while plans are being drawn up for solving the problem on a long-range basis.

The establishment of regional boards is also desirable so that the maximum use could be made of the men trained for and capable of handling such jobs, there being as much shortage of such man-power as of the finan

Mazdoor Sabha, thought the withdrawal of the recognition was vindictive and at variance with the assurance given by the Union Labour Minister. Mr. Raj Narain Singh, the President of Socialist Party, accused the Corporation of victimising the strikers. The Maharashtra Government, on the other hand, have argued that it was a political strike, and not a trade union dispute. The Government's reasoning is hard to understand. Today's Government leaders were critical of the British Government when it had tried to keep politics out of civic bodies and trade unions. There is a very thin dividing line between trade unionism and politics. Practitical party or the other. Practically all trade cally all trade unions are backed by one poliunion leaders are in politics.

The Labour Minister of Maharashtra has stated that the Union wanted to settle the issue by its strength. It would appearl the Government also were anxious to deal with the situation with strength. There is little force in the Government's argument that it could not have referred the dispute for conciliation and adjudication. There was ample notice for doing so, had the Government been anxious to solve the dispute by peaceful negotiations.

The Union may have erred in adopting a strong line. The State Government and the Bombay Corporation were not loath to take an equally strong line. The large powers vested in the Government under the Defence of India Rules were also employed to fight the strike, which collapsed sooner than was expected. Municipal Corporations are big employers of labour, and they have to have a sound labour policy and proper arrangements for dealing with the personnel problems. Machinery for negotiations on points of difference in the staff councils is non-existent, and this accounts for much of troubles in the labour field.

Extraordinary powers of the D. I. R. have been used to curb a threatened strike by the labour force of Kanpur Corporation. Such resort is bound to distort labour-employer relations in the civic bodies,

C. M. P. O.'s First Report

Below is reproduced the concluding chapter of First Report of Calcutta Metropolitan Organisation. The report deals with the problems that confront Calcutta in planning for the future, and the initial steps taken by the C. M. P. O. towards planning for their solution. In this concluding chapter the highlights of findings are extracted and their significance for certain programme and policy directions suggested :

Calcutta City, as we all know, has arisen from a cluster of villages, with expansion guided by current needs rather than by preplanning. The linear growth of the city along both banks of the River Hooghly has in large part resulted from meeting the demands of the port of Calcutta and the industries on either bank of the river. Apart from natural growth of the population in Calcutta, the impact of migrants from the vast hinterland extending over the State of West Bengal and beyond, followed by a great influx of displaced persons since the partition of India, has been considerable. The consequent rise in population has overstrained the civic services and amenities of the city, which has not been able to keep pace with the demands. In addition, the large volume of daily commuters into the city places a heavy burden on the already overstrained transportation system and civic services.

For a realistic comprehensive plan, existing unmet requirements must be considered along with the projected demands for the next twenty-five years, the proposed design date for the plan. The demographic projections made thus far by the C. M. P. O. indicate that at a minimum the Metropolitan District must be prepared to accept an increased population of at least 50 per cent within the next two and a half decades. A corresponding increase in services and expenditure thus should be envisaged to maintain even present standards. To achieve the desirable rate of economic growth of 6 per cent per annum, with such a population and what it entails, certain expansion of existing services would be necessary. To cite a few there will be need to enlarge industrial space by 150 per cent and the Port will have to handle an additional four and a half million tons of goods per

annum. Housing needs can be expected to increase by 40 per cent in Calcutta City and by 105 per cent elsewhere in the Metropolitan District. Transportation facilities. may require a 50 per cent increase in expenditure.

Although current deficiencies in urban living in Calcutta and the Metropolitan District are generally evident, studies and analyses are nevertheless necessary to clarify, point up and determine the depth of the deficiencies and the inter relationship of First of all, it is important to establish for physical requirementss and the social services. planning purposes the persent level of development. Only from this baseline can needs be examined, and the ways and means and priorities for meeting them be planned for and programmed.

The key to the "rescue" or rehabilitation of metropolitan Calcutta is an improved economy. Public services that are necessary to modern urban living require revenue to pay for them. Decent housing, whether publicly subsidised or privately financed, demands capital. The resources needed for improving living conditions must come from the people, supported by augmented income generated through planned economic growth. To make the economy more productive and generate income growth, certain basic services and facilities are essential-for the

people, for industry and for commerce. Individual health and well-being, which are necessary to ensure a good day's work, require safe water supply; better environmental sanitation; decent housing; and adequate tranportation facilities,. For the advancement and expansion of industry and commerce, capital investment is called for, besides public financing to improve trans portation facilities; expand Port facilities; and provide adequate electric power and other services that are in short supply at present.

The above requirements make it obvious. htat in every phase of development the years immediately ahead will set heavy demands on the resources, both financial and technical, for providing facilities and services in the Metropolitan District and its hinterland. The demand on public finances will be considerable, requiring mobilisation of both State's and National resources. And, as the

World Bank Mission rightly observed, the need for technical and financial assistance from abroad seems also imperative, in order to formulate and implement Calcutta's programmed "reconstruction". On the other hand, metropolitan Calcutta itself is not without significant resources and its planned growth would, conceivably, expand them further. Calcutta is India's very important port; it is adjacent to the nation's most valuable natural resources; it does posses an industrial base of demonstrated resilience

to

and a large skilled labour supply. The possibility of attracting investment from private enterprises, which generally are not now bearing any significant share of expenses for urban services and development, cannot be ignored. Their contribution and association in housing and other projects should be anticipated. There is also reason believe that fresh opportunities will bring additional investments from both endogenous and exognous sources, which in turn will provide more employment and income, and an enlarged tax base for meeting at least part of the anticipated demands. Development of Haldia Port, progressive industrialisation of the Asansol-Durgapur complex and esta'blishment of countermagnet towns will further provide additional resources. No significant industrial growth will be possible, however, unless adequate supply of power, water, communication and healthy manpower is insured.

Resources and facilities that are available at present or likely to be available in the forseeable future should be important guiding factors in directing priorities in the planning process and a realistic programme of action for implementation of the plans. As a general guide, it is evident that an urban renewal programme on any large scale is out of the question in the built-up areas within the Metropolitan District. The existing houses, streets, utilities, etc., cannot be just scrapped on any sizable scale to make way for repacement. Such an expensive approach to physical redevelopment cannot be afforded at present either in absolute terms or in the relative priority of claims of other sectors of development. Instead of renewal or replacement, development policy for already built-up areas should therefore

generally emphasize both the improvement and augumentation of existing facilities.

Living conditions in Calcutta, could be considerably ameliorated by judicious outlay to maintain the present facilities properly, or at least to prevent further deterioration. More efficient utilisation of the existing facilities is another improvement possible through rationalised administration and the enforcement of existing laws, bye-laws and regulations designed for safety and convenience in urban living. The principle of aided selfhelp can be applied to bring about further improvements. Generally, this stipulates that people should be helped to help themselves through various methods, a feature of which may be that Government makes land, limited capital or equipment available for a project then individuals or groups through their own efforts complete the project and gradually repay the investment by Government where this is required.

From the studies and investigations completed thus far by the C.M.P.O. it is apparent that improvement in many aspects of development will have to begin almost from the very bottom. It is also apparent that fresh demands will be put on resources even as ways are being sought to cope with the deficiencies accumulated in the past. However, whilst the preparation of a comprehensive development plan for the Metropolitan District, in all its aspects, will need many more months of work and investigation it is possible to tackle and certify some of the deficiencies before the long-term plan is ready. Further, the direc tions some facts of the development programme should take are also becoming

evident.

The lack of an adequate supply of safe water to the people in the Metropolitan District is well known. The need is so critical in some areas as to dictate a high priority in the development programme. A World Health Organisation's team of engineers financed by the United Nations Special Fund is expected to commence work on the formulation of the comprehensive plan for water supply, sewerage and drainage in the District during the current year. It is obvious, however, that provision of interim relief to grossly deficient areas cannot wait for implementation of the comprehensive plan,