Labour Migration and Slum Growth in Bhubaneswar: Issues and Concerns

Nearly half of the world population is living in different urban areas, which are growing at a very fast rate, both in developing and developed countries. As such, rural - urban migration is considered as an important demographic cause of urban growth and requires a special attention in the whole issue of urban transformation. It is found that, in developing countries, large chunk of rural urban migrants are often comprised of individuals with poor economic status. By and large, such migrants find it difficult to afford a regular house inside the core city and prefer to stay in the slums. Though it is perceived that slums provide a gigantic solution for the migrant workers coming to the city; by staying in such awful places, the dwellers suffer from a lot of problems too. It has been argued by many researchers that urban poverty, slum dwellers' empowerment and people's participation should acquire the centre stage of urban politics. In this context, the book elaborates the condition of a fast growing city in eastern India. It discusses the process of population growth, migration and slum growth in Bhubaneswar, and also analyses the condition of the migrant labourers in the slums.