Disparities in Urban Service Delivery Across Socio-Economic Groups: A Case Study of Ghaziabad, National Capital Region

Abstract

Urban local bodies (ULBs) are the frontline institutions for ensuring a decent quality of urban life by providing essential services such as water supply, sanitation, waste management, public lighting, and maintenance of common amenities. In rapidly urbanizing contexts such as India, ULBs face structural capacity constraints and governance challenges that result in inequitable distribution of urban services. The consequences of these disparities extend beyond localized inconvenience to reproduce entrenched cycles of socio-economic inequality, precarious housing, and heightened public health vulnerabilities, particularly in the wake of shocks such as pandemics or climate-induced risks. This study focuses on Ghaziabad, National Capital Region (NCR), one of India’s fastest-growing urban agglomerations, and investigates socio-spatial disparities in service access between low-income households and their middle- and upper-income counterparts. Adopting a case study framework, the research incorporates secondary datasets, municipal records, household-level observations, and comparative service-mapping to analyze inequities in water supply, sanitation, electricity access, and solid waste management. The study tests the hypothesis that “Access to basic urban services in Ghaziabad is significantly lower for low-income households compared to middle- and upper-income households, despite being under the same municipal governance.” Findings reveal that service exclusion is not confined to informal slum settlements but extends into ‘grey zones’ such as unauthorized colonies, lower-middle-class apartments, and peri-urban villages. Contrasts between elite gated communities and amenity-deprived neighbourhoods highlight governance selectivity, skewed fiscal allocations, and the prioritization of showcase projects under policies like the Smart Cities Mission. The study demonstrates that structural deprivation in service landscapes is both multi-scalar and politically rooted rather than merely infrastructural. The paper argues for a fundamental policy shift toward holistic, equity-driven governance frameworks that move beyond project-based selectivity. Equity in access to basic services must be recognized not simply as a welfare obligation but as critical urban capital foundational to health resilience, productivity, and sustainable growth.

Keywords: Urban local bodies, service delivery inequality, Ghaziabad, socio-spatial disparities, amenity deprivation, Smart Cities Mission, National Capital Region.