One thing I wonder about is that there are plenty of marginally profitable, low-end small businesses (retail stores, hair cutting salons, chaiwalas etc) running in central areas of big cities. How do they manage to survive in what should be high-rent areas?
I can tell you about Delhi. I don't know about other cities.
In many areas of Delhi, when refugees came in 1947 and rented accommodation for business or for residence, the rent was like Re 1.00 per month. This I think was the market rent in those days.
As the years went by and landlords tried to raise rent, the tenants went to the Rent Controller and got the rent frozen. The landlord was left with costly and immensely time consuming litigation to raise and/or evict the tenant.
The law in Delhi requires that landlord show "bonafide necessity" in order to get an eviction order. It isn't always possible. And even if it is, the litigation process is so time-consuming and so convoluted that people grow too old to care as the case progresses.
There are people who have rented shops in Karol Bagh area of New Delhi for the last 40 years. They're paying a pittance, if at all anything, for rent. They won't get out no matter what. Some may get out after getting a sizeable "pagri" and then too if the building is sold to a builder who knows politicians and musclemen.
If you're thinking there is no law and no governance you're right.