By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS
Hyderabad : This Andhra Pradesh capital is expected to become a world-class city with the new international airport set to commence commercial operations next month and a host of infrastructure projects being hastened by the government.
This IT hub often called Cyberabad is expected to witness higher growth with the opening of the new airport at Shamshabad, about 25 km from the city, on March 14.
The government’s commitment to make the Andhra Pradesh a world-class city formed part of state governor N.D. Tiwari’s address to the joint session of the state legislature Monday.
The shifting of the airport from Begumpet in the heart of the city to the suburbs is expected to take the growth beyond the limits of Hyderabad.
The Rs.24.78-billion ($625 million) international airport on 5,400 acres is being built by a consortium of construction major GMR Infrastructure Ltd and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB).
Though the first phase of the airport was originally scheduled to provide for a capacity of five million passengers annually, the fast pace of development and air traffic have forced the developers to increase it to seven million.
The airport is expected to make Hyderabad a hub between China and Europe. Several international airlines are waiting to provide connectivity to the city.
Last year, 5.8 million air passengers travelled to the city. The airport registered 46 percent growth in international and domestic passengers between 2006 and 2007. This was 14 percent higher compared to the national average.
The authorities are also expediting the construction of Rs.40-billion ($1 billion) Outer Ring Road (ORR). The 160-km long eight-lane ORR is expected to decongest the city.
The ORR, whose first phase connecting growth cluster Gacchibowli to the new airport will be completed by September this year, will also have satellite townships and special economic zones (SEZs) along its course.
Dozens of world-class townships and IT SEZs spread over hundreds of acres are planned along the ORR.
While about 25 percent of the township space will be occupied by IT companies, the rest will be available for other projects including residential complexes, hospitals and schools.
The townships also include two NRI townships proposed at Budwel and Elixir City (Medi City) at Ameenpur on ORR.
The mega projects include IT and ITES (IT-enabled services) SEZs of Rahejas and Indu Projects, 400-acre township by US realtor Tishman Speyer, integrated township by Unitech on 165 acres.
Rahejas plan to develop 100-acre township at Pocharam. Infosys has also been allotted 450 acres of land in the same area.
An 11.5-km long elevated expressway, the country’s longest flyover, is also under construction to provide better connectivity to the airport.
The government is also gearing up launch work on Rs.84.82-billion ($2.13 billion) metro rail project, spanning over 66 km on three high-density traffic corridors.
Another project which is expected to change the face of the city is the prestigious $3 billion FAB City, the first semiconductor chip making facility in the country. The Andhra Pradesh government and SemIndia, a consortium of overseas Indians, are setting it up.
FAB City, coming up near the new airport on 1,200 acres, would have multiple units, manufacturing silicon wafers, solar power and LCD (liquid crystal display) and TFT (thin film transistor) chips.
Hyderabad, which became a key IT hub in 1990s, has expanded by leaps and bounds during last few years. In an attempt to decongest the city and ensure better growth, the government created Greater Hyderabad by merging surrounding municipalities and villages with the city.
The move increased the city area from 175 to 725 sq km, making it the second largest city after Delhi. The population increased from 3.6 million to 5.5 million.
If IT placed Hyderabad on the world map, biotechnology emerged as key growth engine during last few years. Already home to premier research organisations, Hyderabad has Genome Valley, a 600 sq km area exclusively for biotech companies.
Georgia Institute of Technology of the US has already entered into an agreement with the state government to set up its international campus here which will become operational in 2009.
It will become the first foreign university to set up its full-fledged campus and offer foreign degrees in India.
Georgia Tech, ranked fifth among the American Universities, has also sought 250 acres in Hyderabad to set up a SEZ focusing on research and industrial collaboration.