KT Rama Rao said for a city or State to prosper and develop, focus should be laid on provision of basic infrastructure, failing which it cannot be a successful model
Published Date – 12:27 PM, Sat – 9 September 23
Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao said for a city or State to prosper and develop, focus should be laid on provision of basic infrastructure, failing which it cannot be a successful model.
Apart from Hyderabad, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had ensured the growth of all urban areas in the State. In a holistic, integrated, inclusive and balanced model, the State government was ensuring the growth of both urban and rural development, he said.
Speaking after inaugurating a property show here on Saturday, Rama Rao said irrespective of any sectors, including agriculture or IT, environment or industries, one could witness a balanced model of growth in Telangana in the last nine years.
However, for a city to excel in the real estate sector, basic infrastructure was a key factor. In the case of Hyderabad, the energy requirement was taken care of. In 2014, the installed power capacity in the State was 7000 MW and there was a power deficit. Power cuts, power holidays were regular features in the past but today, the installed power capacity was increased to 26,000 MW, he said.
Similarly, Hyderabad’s drinking water requirement was also being addressed. Water was being supplied from both River Krishna and Godavari. At present, Hyderabad’s population was 1.20 crore and even if it increased to 3 crore, the State government had developed infrastructure to meet the drinking water requirements till 2052, the Minister said.
This drinking water security to Hyderabad was being provided by allocating 10 percent of water supply from the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation and Kaleshwaram projects, he said.
In addition to energy and drinking water, physical infrastructure was very important. Impressed with the infrastructure development, investors and even film actor Rajinikanth had complimented stating that Hyderabad was now resembling New York, he said.
“We are by far the city with the best infrastructure in the country but that doesn’t mean we are content. About 35 projects have been completed under SRDP and this infra is not sufficient and we have to develop further if Hyderabad is to emerge as a global city” Rama Rao said.
Under this initiative, the Hyderabad Metro network, which covered 70 km at present, was being expanded further, including the 31 km-Airport Express. Already, tenders have been called for and work would commence soon, he said.
Not just the Airport Expressway, the Chief Minister also aims to extend the Metro service covering the entire Outer Ring Road and to extend it to over 415 km in Hyderabad in the next five years to 10 years. The State cabinet had already approved these plans and preparation of Detailed Project Reports and other works were under progress, the Minister said.
Stressing that law and order was also a key component for a growth of a city, he said in the past, especially during Vinayaka Chavithi festivals and other festivals, there used to be disturbances and curfews were imposed. “In the last nine years, curfew was not imposed even for a day in Hyderabad,” Rama Rao said.
Many have a false notion that real estate was just about buying and selling properties. In fact, it was an industry employing three million people in Telangana, he said.
Real estate was not confined to Hyderabad. Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently said that earlier if people sold one acre in Andhra Pradesh, they could buy 10 acres in Telangana. But things have changed and today if one acre was sold in Telangana, people could buy 100 acres in Andhra, he had said.
“All the growth that people are witnessing in Hyderabad is just a trailer and the mega movie is yet to be released. There are many projects, including Metro expansion and the River Musi project in the pipeline,” Rama Rao said.
The Minister wanted builders to compete with the best in the world. If Hyderabad has to be a global metropolis, a lot more has to be done. When a skyscraper was being constructed, the skyline of Hyderabad was being redefined. The elevations and interiors had to meet global standards, he said.
“After Mumbai, Hyderabad is the second city to have so many skyscrapers. In HMDA alone, permissions have been accorded for 12 applications to construct buildings with 57 floors and above,” the Minister said.
However, cities like San Francisco have mandated builders to come up with beautiful and innovative designs. In Hyderabad, if investors and buyers were to be attracted, the green standards have to be met, green building norms have to be followed and compliance with building council is mandatory, he said.
“Having said all this, Hyderabad should not lose its affordability tag and it should not be called an expensive city. We are still the second most affordable city with an average price of Rs.4450 per square feet as per Anarock Group,” Rama Rao said, adding that infrastructure in the eastern parts of the city were also developing on par with the western region.
“Mere focusing on the west side will not augur well for Hyderabad and we should not end up like Bengaluru where infra is crumbling. The State government has ambitious infra plans for the eastern and other parts of the city and these areas should be explored by builders and developers,” he added.
“Next year also we will form the government and I will grace the occasion to inaugurate the property show again,” Rama Rao said.
