Spatial Variation of Overall Infrastructural Development Index (OIDI) in Census Towns: A Study of Indo-Gangetic Plain Region, India

Abstract

The unprecedented and arbitrary growths in urban India, which have been traced in the form of infrastructure (mainly), are common among the less-notified urban center like census towns. The growth rate of census towns in developing and populated countries like India significantly increased in 2011 compared to 2001. Meanwhile, the overall development, accompanied by infrastructural upgradation, in the countryside settlements is adding a new phenomenon of ‘census towns’ on the urban map. The present study examines the nature of the overall infrastructural development of census towns, spatial gaps in infrastructural parameters, and intra-regional differentiation under the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. Based on the Census data and index-oriented statistical inputs, the study has explored that the overall infrastructural development (tangible) in the census towns is diversified in magnitude and dimension. The outcome of the chapter shows that a state like Haryana is in a better position in respect of OIDI in census towns, followed by Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. Hence, it has also been noticed that the growth of basic infrastructure in census towns occurs unplanned, leading to problems like haphazard land use and insufficiency of civic amenities. Indeed, a reframed policy with implementation guidelines is necessary for sustainable infrastructural development in census towns to fill the development gap in rural areas having urban potentiality.