When political continuity became the turning point

The turning point in the development of the city came in the late 1990s, when N. Chandrababu Naidu took over as Chief Minister and visualised HITEC City — a third city to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad — with its iconic Cyber Towers in Madhapur, on the western side of Hyderabad, beyond Jubilee Hills. Cyber Towers was completed in a remarkable 14 months and soon became a favourite destination for IT companies. HITEC City expanded into Cyberabad, encompassing Gachibowli and beyond, and there was no looking back.

A number of private engineering colleges also came up. Stretching his aggressive marketing skills to a level only he knows best, Mr. Naidu managed to convince Bill Gates to set up Microsoft in Hyderabad, its first offshore centre outside the United States of America. Another coup of sorts was bringing the Indian School of Business (ISB) to the city. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was another feather in his cap, though it was inaugurated during the Congress regime.

For all his focus on Hyderabad, which came at the expense of rural areas at a time when the State was reeling under severe drought, Mr. Naidu paid a political price, giving way to Congress Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

By this time, Hyderabad had emerged as a magnet for IT and services, second only to Bengaluru.

The city was rather fortunate to experience political continuity during its rapid progress over the last two-and-a-half decades. Political leaders, irrespective of party affiliations, continued to contribute to the development and expansion of the city. YSR’s significant contributions included the Nehru Outer Ring Road, PVNR Expressway and Hyderabad Metro Rail, all of which gave a major boost to connectivity.

Yes, Hyderabad has developed considerably, but it still suffers from poor road infrastructure and an unreliable storm-water drainage system. This is partly because most Chief Ministers viewed tall towers as symbols of development. and never delved deeper into the reasons why Hyderabad faces perennial flooding.

Building permissions were granted right, left and centre, with little regard for the city’s natural, undulating landscape and hundreds of lakes. To top it all, Building Regularisation Schemes were pushed through with scant regard for the carrying capacity of roads and drainage systems. This development has come at a huge cost, including the loss of greenery, lakes, listed heritage buildings and rock formations.

After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the creation of Telangana, there were fears of a slowdown in investments in Hyderabad. Those fears proved misplaced. The new Telangana Rashtra Samithi, later renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi, under Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, took the city’s development forward. His pet project of building a majestic Telangana Secretariat overlooking Hussain Sagar and enhancing the lake’s environs brought about a much-needed makeover of the city. The then Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao showed particular interest in improving the city’s infrastructure, adding landmarks such as the Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge, laying new roads and redesigning and widening existing ones.

With young Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy taking over the reins from the BRS, the city is expected to have a fourth city towards the south of Hyderabad, its most neglected region. His push for the Musi River rejuvenation plan and the removal of encroachments from lakes could, hopefully, usher in a better Hyderabad.

K.Venkateshwarlu, former Resident Editor, The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh