Suburban dynamics: A study of migration and governance in suburban Kolkata

Abstract

Drawing from an analysis of the processes of migration and governance, this paper documents the suburban dynamics of Dankuni—an industrial town located on the western periphery of Kolkata. While in the last few decades, a significant portion of suburban Kolkata has witnessed economic and demographic stagnation or decline, Dankuni has grown by attracting migrants mostly from nearby suburban towns/cities rather than from the city core or distant rural areas. The town also has a robust industrial foundation which provides gainful employment to the majority of its working residents underscoring their independence from the central city for livelihoods. Although the town's growth is driven by the sustained flow of migrants, they are unevenly distributed as majority of them prefer to settle in the inner part of the town where civic infrastructure and communication facilities are better than those in other parts of town. However, over time, especially since the establishment of the municipality in 2008, property prices swiftly escalated in this most sought‐after zone. Consequently, lower‐income migrant households have filtered out to the outer parts of the town. This spatial filtering has increasingly fragmented the suburban landscape. This splintering effect has been reinforced by the municipality's inclination to prioritize relatively affluent inner city neighbourhoods when it comes to the provision of basic amenities and civic infrastructure.