Society

Hew A New Kohinoor

Hyderabad x 4! A concept is born, but views vary sharply about its liveability.

Advertisement

Hew A New Kohinoor
info_icon

The Border Broadens

What Greater Hyderabad will mean to the city:

  • The city will grow from 172 sq km to 725 sq km over the next decade
  • The adjoining districts will be urbanised, that will trigger a real estate boom
  • The city will attain A-1 status, its size would equal Goa's
  • The state can push for Union territory status
  • Critics say the state is creating a monster which will be difficult to administer
info_icon

Hyderabad, fondly called the Pearl City, is now all set to add to its glitter—and stature—by turning into a grand megapolis. Not through modern-day IT czars who have lately lent vibrancy to the erstwhile city of nizams. The impending change in its visage is courtesy a high court nod last fortnight for a government notification for the creation of Greater Hyderabad. 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 if a Greater Hyderabad will mean a lesser boon for them.

One sector that's already heady with the scent of opportunity is real estate. Says realtor Dr Y. Kiron, CEO of Suchir India Private Ltd: "The roads that are 20-30 feet wide now will be 60 feet. The Outer Ring Road and express highways will increase mobility. Better infrastructure and increasing fund inflow will happen, Hyderabad will be a great investment option." There's a sparkle in his eyes when he adds, "Several citizens are already buying apartments and independent villas on the city outskirts. A planned and expanded city will create more jobs and directly impact real estate."

Dr Kiron does have a reason to smile. For, the Greater Hyderabad idea had faced a lot of bumps. When the YSR government first issued an order in July '05, it immediately saw itself in court. Objections to it came from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) party, which believes that Greater Hyderabad would automatically translate into higher taxes for its citizens. It also smells a rat, the whiff of a Union territory, in case a separate Telangana is formed. If that happens, MIM stands to be the biggest loser because the party, with limited reach beyond Hyderabad city, would lose the position of power it currently enjoys in the MCH. To its disappointment, on January 31, a division bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy rejected a petition filed by MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, among others, objecting to the expansion of the city.

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 state has its own reasons for the expansion. 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.

Advertisement

info_icon

While the most vocal objections to Greater Hyderabad have come from the MIM, some Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders too have been making similar noises, albeit at lower decibel levels. TDP leader Teegala Devender Goud says it will be like merging with the sea. "People will have to travel 30-40 km to go to a civic office," he notes. Mayor T. Krishna Reddy, also of the TDP, says there will be a phenomenal increase in the tax burden. But party chief Naidu is yet to raise any serious objections. The BJP and the CPI(M) seem happy enough, though the latter points out that the government should not raise existing taxes for the next 10 years.

The TRS, earlier opposed to the very concept, now welcomes the move—it feels the development of Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda augurs well for Telangana. TRS spokesperson and general secretary Veeramalla Prakash foresees greater employment potential and development of suburban areas. "Two years ago, we had opposed the move because the state had said Hyderabad doesn't come under the jurisdiction of the six-point formula aimed at the development of the Telangana region. But now the high court has clarified that Hyderabad falls under it," he maintains.

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.

Advertisement

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement