|
Growing Dimapur - A serious heartbeat
|
By: A DIPR feature by Lolano P. Khuvung
|
|
|
Article published on 2/5/2009 12:42:09 AM IST
|
|
| |
Dimapur is more than six centuries old! This aspect being most remissible as we walk its oldest square in the Kachari memorial .Culturally a vibrant society has evolved in this city.
Demographically speaking we qualify as a developing space/society with signs of this intermediary phase everywhere to see. We now have a municipal corporation and soon Dimapur could become one of the large cities of this country. Our Roads banks and especially telecommunication booths best symbolize the indices of this reality.
In fact this city is expanding onwards to the erstwhile administrative headquarter Samaguting aka Chumukedima. To sum up, Dimapur is a mid-size city with a unique feature of a very large floating populace being strategically placed both administratively and economically. The society we possess is a developing one very similar to many of the cities in developing South East Asia and Africa.
Economics has taken the forefront on the pages of today even as the west Asia cauldron seems cooking in low heat; With an economic challenge mostly affecting the developed world( much like the 1930 recession) taking the hot seat. Paul Krugman''s noble prize in Economics in 2008 is no surprise (although he concerns his economics mostly with the developing world) cause herein lies the trick of the matter: that only in resolving issues concerning the developing world can secure economic fundamentals be achieved in a global scale. Paul Krugmans ''economics of scale'' bring forth his three geographical dimensional explanations.
His ''economics of scale'' need deeper introspection even as we try to understand the fundamentals of our own city- you see we shouldn''t underestimate as much as overestimate ourselves and this cause inevitably we are tied to the reality beyond and as much as the environmental issues are so important; so are issues like those of roads and cars and diesel and gas.
Perhaps basing on this The World bank recently released its report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography. In this report the World Bank mentioned that the most effective policies for promoting long term growth are those that facilitate geographic concentration and economic integration.
It’s therefore vital that we tune ourselves to the voices all around this globe. Many who know all these have unfortunately postponed insights and views and judgments; simply because they want to keep milking and this by (barely) keeping the cow alive in a kidnapped situation (a situation better known as corruption)...but than you see sir this situation is going to help no one including yourself: worse you remain a well looked after diamond in your ugly wilderness.
To make matters straight and clear...Dimapur needs to get its fundamentals right cause it is dying! For how long will hard earned tax money freely feed our lazy bellies- yes money not ours but belonging to god knows which citizen. And even this money is distributed in god forsaken ways. Dimapur needs to be independent from corruption and get her socio- political-economic fundamentals strong and reap the harvests of a 600 year old mind. It’s precisely the non existence of all these facts is causing our Dimapur to expand geographically with no proper raison de etre.
The recent world development report: 2009 may concern exclusively the developing cities of Africa; however it so much applies to our city where corruption is not allowing concentration of economic and therefore the benefits of scale. Instruments of integration like connective infrastructures, common institutions are not concentrating - Paul Krugman as well as the world bank report both recommend governmental intervention so as to prevent geographical spread of economic instruments and to ensure the reverse: however it seems they have forgotten that there exist a helpless situation called corruption and that even governments could be infected by this virus.
The wealth of Nagaland need to concentrate somewhere and Dimapur is undeniable the ideal place. A vertical growth of Dimapur is a must; the little signs are not at all enough if we are to visualize a Metro Dimapur post 2050 AD. This could happen even faster as the indicators of growth are very positive however corruption and its accessories are just strangling this City. It would not suffice to name a few starlight’s and therefore the writer is reluctant to applaud or highlight these.
Dimapur has more than five lakh residents and a floating two lakh or more and this could grow immensely if the aspect of concentration is taken seriously. Of course care needs be taken administratively speaking. The economics of scale will start working as soon as we believe and act accordingly. The infrastructure may be weak but its still fine for a start and with a 600 year old mind Dimapur surely could sponge the incentives and entrepreneurship of even the neighbouring towns of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Burma and even Thailand! The practice of kidnap milking aka corruption is however the greatest hurdle.
Paul Krugman in his report titled ''economies of scale'' argues that some places are doing well economically because they have promoted transformation along the three dimensions of economic geography. These three being (1) Distance ( 2) density (3) division.
As for distance it says that people mobility is the best gauge of their economic potential and their willingness to migrate to reduce their distance to economic density a good measure of their desire for advancement. Drawing people to cities is the second dimension and it is the most important dimension for development at a local scale The third dimension of division meaning thinning economic borders to access regional and global market reflects the aspects of globalization which now is a ''reality Absolute''.
Definitely all these are broad based viewpoints and observations and coming to specifics maybe opinions would differ for instance the issue of security cannot be ignored even as we talk about relaxing our borders. However it must be acknowledged that a city needs to grow in fact every thing grows for bad or good. You cannot barter security for corruption and backwardness. In fact it is but needless to say that a poor backward society would be victimized so easily.
Dimapur wants to grow; so much is evident in the eyes of the many young entrepreneurs of this city. Dimapur must grow as it just can''t wile away and remain with corruption flourishing and terrorism catching on. Finally Dimapur can grow. With the existing democracy, a corruption affected society and alive 600+ year old intellect; we could be a metropolis and soon.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|