The fact that India is home to the top ten fastest growing cities in the world, and will continue to be till 2035, is indeed a double-edged sword. There is cause for cheer as well as caution. Cheer because economic growth will benefit the cities and therefore the nation. Caution because economic growth has its own pitfalls.
Topping the list is Surat, the diamond processing and trading centre in the western state of Gujarat, according to Oxford Economics. The others are Agra, Bengaluru Hyderabad, Nagpur, Tiruppur, Rajkot, Tiruchirapalli, Chennai and Vijayawada.
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While it increases the standard of living of people in the cities the same cannot be said for the quality of life. The reason being that fast-paced economic growth often comes at the cost of environmental degradation, rapid urbanisation fiscal compromises.
For India, which is the fourth highest emitter of carbon-dioxide in the world, sustainable development should be a high priority. However, history shows us that the temptation to rake in the gains of growth often elbows out the voices that speak for sustainable growth.
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