80 lakh make Bangalore home

80 lakh make Bangalore home
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Bangalore’s growth has been exponential, both in terms of its urban sprawl and population. Over the last decade, Bangalore’s population growth rate has been 35%. The official projection figures from the directorate of economics and statistics say that Bangalore’s population could be 80,84,676 now, and by 2012, it would touch one crore.
But considering the urbanisation pace in Bangalore agglomerate (Bangalore Metropolitan Area), demographers say that Bangalore’s population may have already touched one crore now.
As per 2001 census, Bangalore’s population stood at 65.37 lakh. This took into account Bangalore Urban comprising 2,191 sqkm. Bangalore City with 226 sqkm has 60 lakh population. After the Greater Bangalore was formed taking the city area to 741 sqkm, the population figures have been placed between 70 lakh and 80 lakh.
Going beyond Greater Bangalore and taking the Bangalore Metropolitan Area (BMA) of 1,240 sqkm, the estimated population now could have reached one crore, say officials from the directorate of economics and statistics.
The calculation is done taking into consideration the building licences issued by the BBMP, BDA and BMRDA and the buildings that have come up in the Bangalore agglomerate over the last five years. The population figure is arrived at by calculating four people on an average in one unit. “Though the census projections stand at 85.92 lakh by 2010, we have exceeded well beyond this figure now including the floating population. But for the exact figures, we will have to wait till 2011 for the next census to be conducted,’’ officials explained.
Bangalore Rural which is spread over 5,815 sqkm had 18.81 lakh population in 2001 and the decennial growth rate is 12%, which would have touched 20.79 lakh now. The projection for the entire state in 2010 is 6.15 crore which is currently 5.94 crore.
PEOPLE POWER
Bangalore’s Population growth rate in the last decade 35%
Census projection for 2010 85.92 lakh
Greater Bangalore (current figure) 80 lakh
Bangalore Metropolitan Area (current figure) 1 crore Bangalore rural 20.79 lakh ‘Population control need of the hour’
Bangalore: Urging people to support the government in controlling population and to create awareness on the perils of population explosion, the department of health and family welfare celebrated World Population Day on Friday.
Minister for transport R Ashok, who inaugurated the event, said: “The Madillu project proposed by the last coalition government is sure to benefit the public as also schemes such as Janani Suraksha and Bhagyalakshmi. These will help in controlling infant and maternal mortality.”
“Our country’s population is 114 crore, of which 6 crore are in Karnataka. Every hour, 1,768 are born and about 42,000 every day. It’s difficult to even meet basic requirements like water to the available population. If we don’t control the numbers now, it will be hard to manage the crisis,” Ashok warned.
Women and child welfare minister P M Narendraswamy released pamphlets and posters relating to the event.
He said this year’s budget will focus more on women and child welfare.
The theme of this year’s event was — eradicate poverty, achieve equality and prevent maternal mortality. State health secretary Madan Gopal said every city, community and family has a responsibility towards controlling population.