MUMBAI: Bihar does not run Mumbai. Busting the popular myth that it does is recently released census data that shows nearly three times more
migrants from within Maharashtra than north Indians in the financial capital.
The scene is similar in the state too. Migration within the Maharashtra is more than five times that from other parts of the country.
Uttar Pradesh tops the
list of migrants to Maharashtra and Mumbai, followed by Karnataka and Gujarat. There is an uptick in immigrant count too, largely from Pakistan and Nepal into Maharashtra.
“Numbers from Uttar Pradesh are up because of the opportunities available in the state. Again, migration from Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka has seen an increase, but one observes more women than men, mostly moving because of marital reasons,” said D P Singh, professor and associate dean of the School of Research Methodology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Fewer migrate to Mumbai from southern statesFresh census numbers also indicate that the Mumbai urban agglomeration is seeing fewer migrants from south Indian states. Generalised as Madrasis by the locals, people from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh would rather go to other parts of Maharashtra than come to Mumbai.
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Evading the exorbitant housing cost of the city, migrants from southern India and Gujarat are finding opportunities in Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and other cities. On the other hand, migration from West Bengal has increased.
For labourers and workers, Maharashtra turns to migrants from central India. The count of migrants from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and MP has increased, but now, instead of thronging Mumbai, they are distributed across the state, largely in its urban pockets, observed Singh.
While the face of Maharashtra is changing because of the 90 lakh migrants who came from other regions of India, 479 lakh moved within the state, a number that went up from 342 lakh a decade ago. “A lot of this is rural-urban migration and people moving for jobs. This puts pressure on cities that need to cope with this influx,” said Neeraj Hatekar, Mumbai University economics professor.
The story of Pune is another interesting one. Migration has increased at a rapid pace. Mostly from Karnataka and UP, Pune has about 32 lakh migrants. “Pune’s development, its affordable housing and educational facilities have been a magnet for migrants from within the state and outside too,” added Singh. Migration into Nagpur from MP and Chhattisgarh has also increased reflecting the development there.