Pearl City, is now all set to add to its glitter and stature by turning into a grand megapolis. The impending change in its visage is courtesy a high court nod last fortnight for a government notification for the creation of Greater Hyderabad.
What Greater Hyderabad Means?
1) The city will grow from 172 sq km to 725 sq km over the next decade
2) The adjoining districts will be urbanised, that will trigger a real estate boom
3) The city will attain A-1 status, its size would equal Goa's
4) The state can push for Union territory status
5) Critics say the state is creating a monster which will be difficult to administer
Also see: Hyderabad the numbers
The Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government proposes to bring 12 adjoining municipalities and eight gram panchayats under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH). Plus chunks from the nearby Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy, Medak and Mahbubnagar districts. In the next decade, the area under the city corporation's jurisdiction will increase more than four-fold from the present 172 sq km to a 725 sq km.
Hyderabad would thus gain the size of Goa and attain A-1 status as far as cities go. Realtors and government departments are ecstatic, though ordinary citizens have yet to figure out
Hyderabad would thus gain the size of Goa and attain A-1 status as far as cities go. Realtors and government departments are ecstatic, though ordinary citizens have yet to figure out if a Greater Hyderabad will mean a lesser boon for them.Greater Hyderabad was a concept Chandrababu Naidu had floated in 1999 when he was CM. He, however, didn't go beyond discussing it. The present Congress dispensation wants to expand the city, improve infrastructure and give it the mega city status that would keep it internationally competitive and secure a place for it among world-class cities. But these could mean big torture for the citizenry as they unfold. There are those who question the wisdom of rapid urbanisation and its impact on environment. The government knows this, but still wants to push it through. Municipal administration minister Koneru Ranga Rao says the modalities of Greater Hyderabad will be worked out in the next 45 days.
The population of Hyderabad and its suburbs has risen from 18 lakh in 1971 to 57 lakh in 2001 a 216 per cent increase. By 2021, the population is expected to touch 1.36 crore. With this has come intensity of land use, densification, pressure on housing, roads, transport and availability of water.
Post-expansion, the city corporation is likely to have four zones and a chief secretary-level officer as commissioner. There will be about 200 elected representatives.
Owaisi, the government's strongest critic, feels the state is creating a monster in Greater Hyderabad, as it will be unviable administratively. "It's a case of acting in haste and repenting at leisure," he says, noting the MCH is currently unable to meet even the electricity costs of street lights. Owaisi also believes this move will inflame regional feelings, push up rental values in outskirts and jack up water, property tax, trading and licence fees. "It will also harm the local self-government concept by cutting short the term of gram panchayats."Businessmen disagree. Mir Nasir Ali Khan of MAK Projects, a Hyderabad-based construction consultant, says the formation of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will lead to standardisation of rules and regulations. "More banks will come forward to fund projects because of better infrastructure. It's also good news for the hotel and boutique hotel industry," he claims.
MCH commissioner Sanjay Jaju, Hyderabad's very own demolition man, says regulated growth is certain to happen. He dismisses talk of the GHMC ending up as a highly centralised administrative set-up. Post-expansion, the city corporation is likely to have four zones and a chief secretary-level officer as commissioner. There will be about 200 elected representatives.
Some see it as a political masterstroke on the CM's part to keep Hyderabad out of a possible Telangana state. The feeling in the Congress is that Greater Hyderabad's increased population and area can ensure it a Union territory status. Others see it as Rajasekhara Reddy's way of proving that he is all for urban development. Either way, Greater Hyderabad is headed for greater ambitions.
Source: Madhavi Tata, Outlook
