India, Jan. 15 -- The media focus is, of course, on the bitter, controversial, and no-holds-barred political battle as the Thackeray brothers fight for the revival, survival, and relevance in the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Mumbai, the financial capital, holds a special place in the economy. With an annual budget of INR 75,000 crores, the city commands a potential expenditure kitty that is more than four times that of the Bengaluru Municipal Corporation. But beyond the political heat, and bitter exchanges of words between the political rivals in the elections, lies a deeper and troubling trend that is normally ignored, and brushed under the carpet.

It relates to the problems and worries related to the growing urbanisati...