The urban population is burgeoning in the state, putting a lot of pressure on infrastructure needs and the relative cost for facilitating it, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the Assembly on Friday.
“The urban population has grown by 47.7 per cent whereas the rural population has declined by 25.95 per cent in the past 10 years. This is an alarming trend and portends danger to the state,” the Chief Minister said.
Responding to a calling attention motion of V M Ummer Master (IUML) on the serious problems related to the widespread migration from the rural to urban areas in the state,the Chief Minister said that it was high time that the planning authorities addressed the issue realistically.
“There are many factors contributing to the migration,primarily the tardy or negative growth recorded in the agricultural sector and lack of sufficient jobs for retaining people,” he said. “The infrastructure deficiency in rural areas is a dissuading factor for people to stay back. The mobility of people from rural to urban areas for their daily jobs through efficient and comfortable modes of transport can ensure that the people stay back in the rural settings,” Chandy said.
The Chief Minister also said that the cost of infrastructure per citizen was only one tenth in a rural area,when compared to urban centres.
“The zest for urban living has to be brought down by ensuring sufficient infrastructure and facilities in the rural areas,” he said,while remaining non-committal on Ummer Master’s demand for entrusting a study with an expert committee.
