The Jungle of Skyscrapers

The shortage of land and space has turned our big cities into jungles of brick and concrete. They have no more space left to expand horizontally. Therefore, they are expanding vertically. So high-rise buildings and skyscrapers are being constructed in the cities one after another.  The Qutb Minar is no more the highest building that it ever used to be. There are many taller buildings overlooking the squeezing roads below.

The scene in all metropolitan cities is much the same, let alone Mumbai and Kolkata. They all are overcrowded with these skyscrapers. And many more are coming up every day. Each of these buildings is like a mini town in itself, with hundreds of flats, offices, houses, shops etc., having even its own markets, hotels and parking places. People have to use elevators to go up and down.

The rise in the city population is chiefly due to migration from other towns and villages. It puts great pressure on the resources of the cities. There is no land to build houses, offices and shops. This has necessitated making very tall buildings.

The rising sky-scrapers have their own specific problems. As the cost of living rises in cities, the crimes are also on the rise. There is a problem of sanitation and water supply. The frequent breakdown of power supply further complicates the matter. The number of vehicles is increasing rapidly giving rise to too much of pollution. There are frequent road accidents, dozens of people are killed in these accidents daily.

Despite high-rise buildings, finding a proper place for parking is a difficult task. The rents are sky-rocketing. Consequently, there is much black money in circulation. Litigations, violence and crimes with regard to properties are increasing astronomically. The residents of these flats feel crumpled and imprisoned. The old, the weak and the children are the worst affected. There is no fresh air and sunshine. There are no free and frequent movements. They have become the victims of wretched isolation. The people living in these high-rise multi-storey flats do not feel secure, happy, free and content. There is no social life. There is no cooperation and fellow-feeling among the dwellers of these flats.

These skyscrapers have turned into living hell for want of proper facilities. In case of an unfortunate event of fire or earthquake, there cannot be an easy escape from these buildings. In such a situation, they are bound to turn into mass living graves.

The metro cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai have become vast slums where people live like worms and insects, without any civic amenities, in the lap of crimes and criminals. As a result, the law and order situation in these cities has gone from bad to worse.