Evolution and phases of Urban Growth of Hyderabad
A city with rich history and magnificent olden structures is slowly became host to some of the most modern buildings, a blend of both the bygone kingdoms and the new corporate revolution. To boost Hyderabad’s development, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu successfully bid for the National Games in 2002 and the Afro Asian games in 2003, along with a strong bid to create a Formula One circuit in the state. These endeavours led to the development of efficient sports infrastructure in Hyderabad. The Indian School of Business (ISB) and IIT were also established in a similar endeavour to boost modern education.
The resulting urban agglomeration now has an area of over eight hundred square kilometres and consists of Hyderabad and other municipal entities surrounding it. The city population is expected to exceed one hundred and thirty six lakhs in 2021. As development picked up pace at the end of the nineties, the old city has declined and the newer peripheral regions started to gain prominence. By 2001, the city was the sixth largest urban agglomeration in India; and during the last decade it registered a growth of 32%.
Developed land on the outskirts of Hyderabad has been utilised for large scale development just outside the Cybercity. The city itself is on its way to become the leader in e-governance. It has been predicted about Hyderabad that it would become a leading information-based society in the next two decades. Rapid industrialisation has led to the increase in land prices while simultaneously driving the demand for infrastructure development. Commercial growth, therefore, has been concentrated in the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad area while the metropolis has experienced pressure in residential growth. As workers prefer proximity to the workplace, their daily commute has resulted in the improvement of the road networks as well.
Transformation from historical to modern cosmopolitan Megapolis
Growth of the IT Sector
Ever since the 1990s, Andhra Pradesh had been promoting itself as a world class IT location and Hyderabad City, as a result, has managed to attract investment from companies such as IBM, Oracle and Microsoft. The Hyderabad Technology Park has seen hundreds of IT companies registering themselves as soon as spaces are available. The objective of this elaborate promotional program has been to attract the right number of companies which together would form a critical mass for the city to develop as a high tech city which would rub shoulders with Silicon Valley and Malaysia’s Multi Media Super Corridor.
During the nineties, several initiatives were taken up by the state government towards promotion of IT sector. These included setting up of IT training institutes, initiatives in e-governance, development of a Hi-Tech city and promoting the Software Technology Park as a preferred destination for private sector companies. Steps were then taken even further to allow the development of a Hardware Park, creation of a Knowledge Park, and establishment of a financial district. The state government started tapping resources to invest in the biotechnology sector and, as a first step towards making the region specialized, a Biotech Park was introduced.
The Tourism Thrust
Having understood the vast potential of the biotech sector, the Government of Telangana has started to focus on tourism. The city is being promoted aggressively to Indians and non-Indians alike and is touted to become a major tourist destination owing to its location and traditional resources. The government intends it to become a major transit hub between Europe and the Far East. According to the tourism policy of the state, the then Andhra Pradesh was predicted to “be a leading tourism destination in India attracting over 2.5 million international tourists and around 70 million domestic tourists” by 2020. The present state government plans to achieve this goal by building upon the inherent strengths of the state and developing high quality tourist infrastructure.
Ongoing Infrastructure Development
In the aid of industrial development, the city of Hyderabad has also started to develop infrastructure to support it. The infrastructure development is being focused on all important areas including roads, flyovers and cityscape, and improving water supply. Since 2007, eight major projects have been completed in the Hyderabad development plan. These include the completion of flyover at Rajiv Gandhi Circle, Green Lands Junction and Chandrayangagutta. The water supply has further been enhanced by the diversion of Krishna water to Secunderabad, construction of additional storage facilities and completion of Krishna Drinking Water Supply Project Phase II.
Development of Supporting Infrastructure
To accommodate increased traffic and population inflow, the state government has taken many steps to improve infrastructure. The Infrastructure Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited (INCAP) was set up in 2005 to oversee the development of Andhra Pradesh as a whole. The state government had 40% stake in it and it had been established to oversee the development of airports, roads, buildings, medical health and all urban infrastructures in a phased manner.
The Government of Telangana has initiated the development of the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited, aiming at the “beautification of traffic islands on Outer Ring Road Project” in Hyderabad City. Once fully developed, this project will render Hyderabad one of the most modern cities in terms of infrastructure.
Where connectivity is concerned, one of the notable projects is the Nehru Outer Ring Road or ORR of Hyderabad, which is an eight-lane ring road expressway with a perimeter of one hundred and fifty eight kilometres. It connects Hi-Tech City, Nanakramguda Financial district, Hyderabad International Airport, Knowledge Park, Hardware Park, Games Village, Singapore Financial District and State Police Academy. The road has been designed to allow vehicles to travel at higher speeds and has vastly improved connectivity and reduced traffic congestion in the arterial roads of the Greater Hyderabad Region. Plans to improve the Inner Ring Road are in place and they would decongest the traffic even further. The longest flyover in the country is currently was constructed to allow high speed access to the airport.
The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority is pushing the city to become the next Silicon Valley. The State Government of Telangana, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh before it, have put in remarkable efforts to develop the city’s existing infrastructure. The govt. has planned considerable growth of the Greater Hyderabad region and is set to leave Pune and Bangalore far behind in a few years. With eyes both on environmental protection and development, the government is juggling its way past one hurdle after another. If plans are adhered to, Hyderabad is set to become the next big industrial phenomenon of the country.
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