Fortuitously, economic reforms and globalisation has given this country its first state-of-the-art world class complex in the fast growing metro, Hyderabad. Although formally inaugurated in January with the Pravasi Divas, it will offer its complete range of services (including a five-star Novotel Hotel of 289 rooms) in the first week of May when over 2,000 leading bankers and investors gather in the Andhra capital for a full meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), as it is christened, is promoted by the Cyberabad Convention Centre (P) Ltd, a joint venture company comprising the Dubai-based EMAAR group, and Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, a public sector undertaking. EMAAR group, which runs the famous Dubai International Convention Centre in association with the Australia-based Accor chain, has the same arrangement in place for HICC as well with the Novotel Hotel (an Accor superior brand). HICC general manager Philip Logan told this writer that the Centre "has been uniquely conceived and designed to offer everything needed for a successful, world-class event whether it is a conference for 6,500 delegates, a seminar for 500 or a meeting for just 50." He added, "Conscious of India's growing wedding market, HICC has provided for their special requirements of banqueting and celebrations. We can cater a sit down dinner for 10,000 guests."
Pointing to the versatility of the main hall, which is divisible in a dozen variable sections, Logan said it could also be used for (indoor) sports events, theatre and concerts. One of his dreams, he said, is to move back to India the Bollywood (IIFA) Awards, from Amsterdam to Hyderabad. He conceded that for HICC's success more quality accommodation, a modern airport and more international flights are a must. But he is upbeat that Hyderabad is fast heading towards those goals. He estimated that with his own Novotel the city now has 1,500 rooms in four and five-star hotels. Three thousand more rooms are in the pipeline, which will be made available well before 2009 by which time the new international airport at Shamsabad with a phase one capacity of ten million passengers would already be in operation.
The present Hyderabad airport serves six domestic carriers and a dozen international airlines including Lufthansa, KLM, Saudia, Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Malaysian, Sri Lankan and of course Air India and Indian, which bring in more than 90 flights a week. More international carriers are expected to include Hyderabad in their services when the new airport is commissioned in the first quarter of 2008. Trial runs are scheduled for the end of 2007. An official of the promoter company building the GMR Hyderabad Airport Ltd, said the project has been so planned that in phase two its capacity can be raised to 20 million passengers and in phase three this could go up to 40 million. He said work on the access roads linking the airport to NH-7 has been undertaken in a coordinated manner. Even the railways have been approached to extend the rail link. He said that apart from terminal buildings and various facilities for passengers and cargo, the complex would have hotels, shopping and entertainment.
The new airport is a public-private partnership initiative. It is a joint venture of the GMR group of Hyderabad, Malaysian Airport Holdings and Airport Authority of India. (GMR has also won the bid to modernise the Delhi airport). An innovation in the airport design takes care of the Indian tradition of friends and relations wishing to see off those going abroad. An airport village at the entrance to the terminal will have covered space for them in air-conditioned comfort with amenities like shopping, food and washrooms.
