Pattern of social life in metropolitan areas

The author of this report had been asked in 1960 by the Research Programmes Committee of the Planning Commission to prepare for the Third Five Year Plan a Memorandum on 'Problems of Planned Urban Development', based on the reports of socio economic surveys of nine cities in India, carried out by University Departments and Research Institutes under the auspices of the Research Programmes Committee during the years 1954 and after. The Memorandum has since been published as 'Problems of Rapid Urbanisation in India' (May 1964). Amongst the socio-economic surveys of Indian cities was one of Greater Bombay, carried out in 1954-59 by the Department of Economics of the University of Bombay under the guidance of Prof. C. N. Vakil and subsequently of Prof. D. T. Lakdawala as Hon. Directors. In the course of this survey, under the guidance of Prof. C. N. Vakil, some reports on social and civic activities, problems and institutions in the city were also prepared.