New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Inadequate planning and absence of policies on migration are among the factors contributing to making Indian cities unsafe and prone to violence, experts said here on Saturday at a symposium hosted by the Institute for Human Development (IHD).

Continuous migration into urban areas from rural areas had gone hand in hand with a lack of policies to deal with burgeoning populations in terms of provision of decent work opportunities, living spaces, healthcare, education, etc., leading to deepening class divides and conflict situations, they said at the symposium on 'Making Cities Safe and Inclusive: Perspectives from South Asia'. 

Bulging populations had shrunk the availability of land making cities even more conflict ridden, said Alakh N. Sharma, the director of IHD, which conducts research on labour, social security, poverty, marginalization, food security, gender and related areas. 

He told IANS: "Currently over 30 percent of the youth living in Indian cities are unemployed and would potentially involve themselves in criminal activities for a living."

Sharma said that India had not had, since independence, any proper policy or law on migration which, nevertheless, was emerging as one of the major reasons of conflict in cities.

A study conducted by IHD stated that over 35 percent of people living in Delhi slums felt unsafe, apprehending the possibility of violence over petty issues. In the high profile areas of Delhi, over 18 percent of the population felt unsafe.

In Patna, only 30 percent of the population felt safe, while the majority considered the city unsafe due to rising crime.

Speaking on gender violence, Pakistan's Nausheen Anwar said that there was a link between vulnerability to violence and access to livelihood, water, sanitation and transport.

"In a survey, we compared 11 neighbourhoods in two cities. Frustration arising out of a lack of economic power and social bonding are among the most important reasons behind violence," said Anwar who belongs to the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi.

About 70 percent of the households surveyed reported no female earner, she added.