An Appraisal of Urban Development and Histogenesis : A Case Study of Mirzapur City

Mirzapur city (25 1115- 25715N and 82 30E - 82 36 30E) is situated on the southern bank of river Ganges in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The city has present population of 2, 05,053 persons (Census of India, 2001).There were 12 administrative wards in 1971, which rose to 20 in 1981, 25 in 1991 and 28 in 2001. River Ganges has been the life of this city. It forms the northern boundary of the city. The city is bounded in south by river Ojhala. The city is well connected with the National Highway no. 2 (Grand Trunk Road) at Aurai (District: Bhadohi) and with National Highway no. 7 (Longest national highway in India connecting Varanasi to Kanyakumari). Mirzapur city in its present form is the product of colonial period, although the Vindhyan region in the west has very long history. Despite of having such a long histogenetic evolution, it has been neglected by the urban development authorities and it is in a very sick condition today. Despite the rosy claims by the city administration, the development of the city has been stagnant and has declined in the last five decades.Many problems have been identified in the study for urban development of Mirzapur city.