Distress Migration in Mumbai: The concluding remarks of a small qualitative study

Till the advent of the industrial revolution, men primarily lived in pastoral communities with their ways of living in harmony with the environment. With industrialization arose the need for cities where factories could be setup for production. These factories needed a large workforce which consequently propelled the movement of people from villages to the cities. Given the lucrative prospects the cities offered, this sort of migration increased rapidly. This phenomenon has caused many social and economic problems and its impact can clearly be seen in Mumbai, where today it is seen as a threat to its very survival.

Over population and increased unemployment in the country have fostered migration to the Mumbai since the pre-independence era. Dreams of a better life make people want to move in large numbers to economically developed areas. Increased wages, better medical facilities, enhanced education standards and consolidation of other such resources enhance migration. Rural migrants are often unable to afford proper housing owing to high costs of living, and are forced to manage with living in shanties under unclean conditions. They lack provisions like proper sanitation, pure drinking water, electric supply and other elementary facilities. The existence of slums that dot the very heart of the city alongside housing complexes whose prices are sky-rocketing, is a proof of the fact that Mumbai has taken a fall due to uncontrolled migration. The glaring divide between the rich and the poor augments the crime rate. More and more people in these areas start taking to thievery, gambling, prostitution, drug peddling and other dubious means to make a living. Many sincere workers come with plans to work for a short period of time, but end up staying for a longer duration owing to healthier incomes.

 Sailesh Pandey, a worker at a dairy shop in Sion tells me, “I came 6 years back to settle a family debt. Now I've long settled the dues, but have never considered leaving. I earn Rs.5000 here which helps keep my family happy. I’ll readily leave if I got the same money back home, but I never will. I miss my village, but I’ll never leave Mumbai.”

One concrete solution to this problem would be to bring a change in the economic system of the villages to make them more profitable. Villages which are chiefly agrarian should be diversified to include other relevant small-scale industries which could provide jobs. Development programs should be taken up so as to make townships more self-sufficient and independent. Further, small cities should be developed as small economic nerve centers and facilities available in metropolitan cities should be replicated to enhance the standard of living. This could also help divert the middle class populace which finds it difficult to buy housing in Mumbai. 

Slum redevelopment programs should be carried in parallel with programs to increase the viability of life in the native towns and villages of migrants itself. Distress migration can be brought under check if and only if there is a pan India political initiative to cope with it. Slum redevelopment can only work at the destination point. Work needs to be initiated at the source points too in order to tackle distress migration.

And most importantly, political parties must abstain from instigating violence between the natives and the migrants. Anti-migrant violence contradicts the very foundation of Mumbai -A city that was built by outsiders and emigrants- and further damages its image as that of a cosmopolitan city. Our leaders should uphold our traditions which have always preached compassion, warmth and brotherhood. Never has there been a greater need to adhere to these age-old ideals of tolerance. They should lay aside all differences for the greater good and should concentrate their energies towards the progress and betterment of the city.