Developmental Issues and Dynamics of Mumbai Cityscapes: Geoinformatic Inventory of F & G South Ward
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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 4, Issue 12 December-2013 166 ISSN 2229-5518 Developmental Issues and Dynamics of Mumbai Cityscapes: Geoinformatic Inventory of F & G South Ward Dr. Prasad Gogate1, Dr. Dipti Mukherji2 ABSTRACT - Conceptually, the Geo-environmental landuse mapping is the spatial representation of the human activities which is mainly dependent on socio-economic condition on the nature's own built system exemplifying the suitability of different terrain units in relation to the existing utilization or selective alternate uses, i.e. sustainable landuse planning. The holistic approach, using Geographical Information System (GIS) allow managers to observe, study and monitor, for instance, the effects and consequences of a particular decision on land use within a large geographical area concurrently and over appropriate periods of time. The paper presents the authors' contributions to ways of understanding the mapping and interpretation to understand the powerful players who make decisions for a socio-economic vulnerable space. The area selected for the study is the part of Mumbai City. F & G South ward which has experienced a drastic landscape transformation over a period of time. The area is targeted for valorization of space. Vertical and horizontal spatial extension is distinct. Traditionally known as mill area it is associated with cotton mills, their workforce establishment and infrastructure. This area lost its significance after the closer of these mills in early 90s. There is a clear cut contrast in the form of basic amenities, inf rastructure and facilities in the old residential area and newly developed skyscrapers. An attempt has also been made to create a spatial data base for the study area and develop a model in GIS environment to evaluate present and future problems the area is facing and the solution for the same, if any. Keywords: Contested environment, space crises, development or disaster —————————— —————————— 1.0 Introduction: enterprise, organizations are choosing to leverage the he diffusion of GIS in planning has occurred at a geographic information that they create with their desktop T remarkable rate. Growing awareness, institutional GIS implementations and deliver it with servers for use in the acceptance, and product diversityIJSER have led to a plethora of enterprise and across the Web. In addition, focused sets of GIS planning applications, varying in maturity and sophistication. logic can be embedded and deployed in custom applications. GIS applications in planning are characterized by The influence of GIS is growing. It provides a powerful geographical scale and the dominant influences shaping GIS medium for managing, visualizing, and communicating about utilization in planning are examined at the national, regional, our world. In this paper, the research objective is to study the trans-regional, metropolitan and neighbourhood scales. potential of GIS applications in support of the public Transformations brought about by the interplay of GIS and participation and urban management and planning of, planning causes a symbiotic relation. Planning, and the through GIS . Urban processing of geo-database, develops the technology which supports it, reflects the culture of the society capacity and the empowerment of local administration of the it serves. The symbiotic relationship reflects the vernacular management tools and to interface the complex problems of approach to urban and regional planning, and an emphasis on urbanization, unplanned and negative impacts on the facilities high-technology solutions to economic development. GIS and services and the environment and to locate vulnerable technology has long been valued for improving areas. communication and collaboration in decision making, for effectively managing resources and assets, for enhancing the Central Mumbai is acquiring a new landscape, which seeks efficiency of workflows, for improving the accessibility of to obliterate any trace of its vibrant industrial past. Socio- information, and generally offering tangible cost savings to spatial transformation is a on-going process in this locale. The organizations both large and small. In an effort to deliver departure of industries and commercial activities from the geospatial information and functionality throughout an downtown has caused abandonment and derelict of erstwhile bustling physical spaces and structures. These structures are ———————————————— specifically adapted for industrial use and cannot be readily Department of Geography,University of Mumbai,Vidyanagari, Mumbai reused for more contemporary purposes. Parel was one of the 400098, India [email protected], [email protected] original seven islands that formed Mumbai. It belonged to the 1 Corresponding Author : [email protected] 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev. The Portuguese IJSER © 2013 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 4, Issue 12 December-2013 167 ISSN 2229-5518 conquered Bombay, they gave the authority of this area to the under strong competition from Japan, the mills declined. In Jesuit priests, The British confiscated the church building in 1953, there remained only 53 active mills in the city. the battle in 1689 and spelt the area as Parel. In the 1770s, the governor shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then The textile mills, which played an important role in the became one of the elite areas of the city. In 1867, tanners and industrialisation of Mumbai and evolved around the culture dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, of the city's working class, are now giving way to several cotton mills had been established in the reclaimed development of upscale neighbourhoods. Mill floors that lands in Parel. Gradually, Paral became much polluted. After resounded with the clang of machinery have been converted the plague epidemics i.e. 1890s, mills proliferated in this area. into shopping arcades, and residential towers have replaced In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western their chimneys in the new skyline (Frontline,2005). Mumbai and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and has 437.71 sq.kms of land . Total land available or occupied is in addition provided space for mill workers. There were 68.71 sq.kms in the city, 210.34 sq.kms, in suburbs and 158066 around 120 mills in the Mumbai city area during the period. sq.kms for extended suburbs. With density of population just This attracted many workers from Konkan region of above 45000 per sq.kms, the mega city has vast area of and to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to work as mill reduce the density. At present more than 12 crore sq.ft of workers. Initially the workers community somehow managed projects going in full swing in Mumbai and its suburbs. to live in the area. With the construction of chawls within the vicinity of the mill areas, the lone workers also brought their Mill lands would cater space and would be required to families from the rural villages and settled here permanently. construct yet another 12 million sq.ft. There were 52 cotton This proximity of residential area to work place was an mills in Mumbai. Of these 26 were deemed sick and were additional advantage for the mill owners. These also lead to taken over by the government of India. Out of these, 25 were establishment of associated functions like markets, theaters, managed by National Textile Corporation (NTC) and by cinema houses and ply grounds. This era also witnessed Maharashtra State Textile Corporation (MSTC). Remaining 32 many social and cultural events which were deeply rooted in mills continue to be in the private sector. Even after taken these migrated families. over, these mills continue to be sick. Textile mills hold 400 to 500 acres of land just in the heart of Greater Mumbai. Lower Parel played an important role in forging Bombay’s industrial 1.1 The Cotton Mill Era and its Decline modernity. The area’s reclaimed flats were chosen during the The mills of Girangaon were once integral to Mumbai's 1850s as the location for some of India’s first spinning and economy, particularly during the British colonial period, when weaving mills. These were established predominately by Mumbai (then known as Bombay) was often referred to as the Bombay’s wealthy multi-ethnic merchants who looked to "Manchester of the East". However, with the development of exploit the cheap supply of raw cotton and labour from the newer industries in and around Mumbai, these mills ceased to city’s Marathi-speaking hinterland, with the British leasing be profitable, and fell into a state of disrepair. land and machinery, and providing managerial staff In the first half of the nineteenthIJSER century, India exported (Leadbeater, 1993). Lower Parel was part of what the historian cotton to Britain, and then reimported the textile. In 1820, the Rajnarayan Chandavarkar (1998, p. 103) argues was ‘an active total textile import was valued at Rs. 350,000. However, the political terrain’. The area was the crucible for the creation of a cost had escalated significantly by 1860, when textile imports self-conscious Indian working-class and retained a strident stood at Rs. 19.3 million. The impetus towards the founding of trade union movement during the 1970s and 1980s. This was a cotton industry came from Indian entrepreneurs. The first demonstrated by a prolonged and fractious textile strike Indian cotton mill, "The Bombay Spinning Mill", was opened during 1982 and 1983 (Van Wersch, 1992). in 1854 in Bombay by Cowasji Nanabhai Davar. Opposition from the Lancashire mill owners was eventually offset by the support of the British manufacturers of textile machinery. 1.2 History of Mill land and Impact on Regional Economy The cotton mills of Bombay, and the rest of India, were 1700 century was the beginning of cotton trade with China. owned and managed mainly by Indians. The initial In 1853, the first rail link was established to Thane and in 1863 investments came from families of the mill-owners, mainly the railway link was extended through the Bhor ghats to the obtained from trading.