15 August 2013

Telangana Inc. - The Battle for Hyderabad

The battle for Telangana has become a battle for Hyderabad. Those demanding a separate state say they want to end the dominance of the contractor - politicians from the rest of Andhra Pradesh who have made crores from India's cyber city, because it is the political class of the same region which also controls the politics of their state.

On the western edge of Hyderabad lies the Lanco Hills luxury township. Spread over 100 acres, it one of the biggest real estate projects in the city.

It is the brainchild of Lagdapati Rajagopal, Congress MP from Vijaywada in Coastal Andhra, who is the founder of the Rs. 600 crore Lanco group, with interests in power and infrastructure, and a fierce opponent of Telangana.

But the land has been at the centre of an ongoing bitter legal battle with the Waqf Board claiming it is their land, the site of a religious shrine, the proof of which is a religious flag atop the Lanco Hills.
 

Study begins to set up water recycling plants in Hyderabad

Gujarat-based private agency, Multi Mantech International Private Limited has been awarded the contract for conducting feasibility studies for setting up of water recycling plants for a cluster of IT companies, government offices, industries, big residential complexes, gated communities etc. in the city.

“The idea is to treat and recycle sewerage water and sell it at a lower price to citizens. This will bring down the usage of drinking water for flushing, gardening and washing purposes and most importantly, reduce the burden on exploration of ground water,” said Water Board engineer-in-chief M. Satyanarayana.

Reliance keen to set up aerospace unit in Hyderabad

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance group company, Reliance Aerospace Technologies Private Limited, has expressed interest to set up its first aerospace unit in the country in or around Hyderabad. The company representatives contacted Andhra Pradesh government and requested it to provide land in Hyderabad to set up their first manufacturing unit. Following this, the government asked its officials to identify suitable land and show it to Reliance. A high level delegation from Reliance will visit the city next week and finalise the location.

"Reliance Aerospace Technologies of Mukesh Ambani contacted us with a request for allotment of land, equipped with an airstrip, in or around Hyderabad to test their equipment. We have identified two places on the outskirts of the city," said a top official on condition of anonymity.

Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) - Medchal to Shamshabad Drive





How Gopichand made Hyderabad India's badminton capital

 
Pullela Gopichand's unwavering commitment has made Hyderabad a powerhouse of Indian badminton, a factory which keeps churning out one promising player after another.

PV Sindhu's bronze at the World Championships on Saturday was just the latest in a line of superlative feats achieved by players emerging from coach Gopi's stable.

In fact, this is a feat which has eluded even Saina Nehwal, who under Gopi has won close to 20 international titles, including a bronze at the Olympics. Then there are players like Parupalli Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt, who too have started registering impressive wins.

It's a testament to Gopi's unwavering commitment to his wards that Indian shuttlers have won more than two dozen international titles, at times even taking on undisputed giants China. The coach literally eats, sleeps and breathes the game. Just ask his wife, former player PVV Laxmi, or his mother Subbaravamma.

My Home Constructions’s new project 'My Home Vihanga' in Hyderabad

With a 30 year track record of building enduring relationships and happy communities, My Home Constructions brings to you yet another Mega Venture located in the heart of Gachibowli, ‘My Home Vihanga’. Perched atop a hillock at Gachibowli, Wipro Junction. My Home Vihanga offers you a view of the IT and Financial districts like you’ve never seen before.

The 21-acre project will have close to 2,000 two, three and four BHK apartments sized between 1,115 and 2,160 sq ft.

According to the company’s chairman, Jupally Rameswar Rao, the project has been launched with an inaugural offer price of Rs 4,100 per sq ft and the company has by now received bookings for about 60 per cent of the units. It will take about three to four years to complete all phases.

NCC Urban One by NCC Urban at Narsingi

For an upper middle-class family, buying their dream home is a landmark event. But given the number of projects coming up in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and the fluctuating prices, one needs to be extra careful while looking for the best deal.

One such upcoming project in the city, which happens to have a happy combination of right price, delivery period and community living is NCC Urban One by NCC Urban at Narsingi.

NCC Urban One is a few minutes’ drive from key locations such as Ocean Park, Appa Junction, Future Kids School, Outer Ring Road, Kokapet and Gandipet.

The project is also close to developments such as ICICI Towers, Cognizant Technologies, Karvy, Polaris, Microsoft, and Capgemini. It is around 4-km from Wipro Polaris Circle at Nanakramguda Junction and 6-km from ORR at Gachibowli.

Hyderabad government land details are available in tablets

In tune with changing times, the Hyderabad district administration will use Tabs (tablet phones) to keep tabs on government land in 16 mandals. Hyderabad could be the first district in the state to use Android-based tablets to get land details.

Hyderabad collector Mukesh Kumar Meena has taken an initiative to provide Tabs to tehsildars working in 16 mandals in the district to update status of government land. “The government is keen to develop a land bank in each district. Though the revenue department has information about status of government land, it is not up-to-date. We have alienated government land to various departments like education, SC, ST, BC welfare, minorities and housing for various purposes. In fact, the district administration does not have exact status of land usage. Though we have allotted the land, the departments have not utilised it for the purpose for which it has been allocated and it has been lying vacant,” collector Meena told TOI.

Speed up tenders for GAME city, Minister tells APIIC

Information Technology Minister Ponnala Laxmaiah has directed the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) officials to work closely with the AP Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation for inviting tenders for the incubation space for gaming and animation companies at Raidurg by August 20.

The IT Minister, who reviewed the status of IT projects across the State and pending issues with the IT&C Department, APIIC and STPI here on Thursday, asked the APIIC to expedite the construction of Incubation Towers at Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Kakinada and Warangal and complete them by December this year.

Finance biggies make Gachibowli a hotspot

Photo credit: Srinivas Setty
Gachibowli that houses ICICI, Franklin Templeton, Andhra Bank, APSFC etc, is sitting pretty with the twin advantage of present high rents due to limited supply and bright future prospects with increased launches.

Gachibowli is a submarket that includes Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, Manikonda, Raidurg and surrounding locations. It is the next popular IT/ ITeS destination of Hyderabad after Hitec City. IT-related developments in Gachibowli began with CMC setting up its campus in the late 90s and Microsoft opening its first campus in India in the early 2000s. 

02 August 2013

AMD Opens Global Design Centre In Hyderabad

President and CEO Rory Read at the inauguration of a new Global Design Center in Hyderabad on Thursday. PTI
Chip maker AMD today announced the opening of its design centre in Hyderabad equipped with state-of-the-art lab facilities for software and hardware innovations which are at the heart of the firm's popular Accelerated Processing Units (APUs).

The new design centre was inaugurated by AMD President and CEO Rory Read, AMD said in a release. "AMD is committed to providing customers with innovative, tailored technology solutions that empower people and deliver exceptional experiences," Read said.

GHMC goes tech savvy

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) claims to be the first to use a real-time urban governance monitoring system at any level of government to attend to citizens’ complaints and increase the efficiency of civic services.

The off-site real-time (OSRT) monitoring system uses the ubiquitous cell phone as a major component. GPRS technology allows cellphones to capture real-time images of public servants at work or public sites under inspection, with the date, time and location of the picture. These images are instantly transmitted to a central server and are available in the public domain.

Garbage collection, for instance, which is outsourced to private contractors can be easily monitored using this system. The private contractor collects the garbage and brings it to dumper bins from where it is taken to transfer stations. The corporation takes over from here and transfers the waste to the main dump yards.

01 August 2013

Long road ahead for Hyderabad to become Union Territory

The process of creating a Union Territory is as lengthy as that of creating a new state. If Hyderabad, designated the common capital of the bifurcated AP, is to be designated a Union Territory, the Centre will have to enact legislation for this purpose or combine it with the States Reorganisation Bill that will have to be passed for Telangana to become a recognised state. Areas to be brought under the UT will have to be identified and notified in the Bill.

Next, an entry must be made to the first schedule in the Constitution about the new UT. An administrator will then be appointed by the Centre, who will have an adviser and a team of secretaries to help him/her administer the UT.

“In the case of Chandigarh, which is a Union Territory, the governments of Punjab and Haryana had deputed equal number of IAS officers to the team of secretaries,” a senior Central government official said.
 

Telangana effect: Brace for a rise in Hyderabad property prices

Now that the creation of a separate Telangana state is announced, real estate developers in Hyderabad can heave a sigh of relief.

Despite competitive capital values compared with other metros, the Hyderabad real estate market was down in the dumps for the last couple of years with builders holding back projects and property buyers holding out on purchase decisions due to political instability over the bifurcation issue.

While other cities entered a resurgence phase after the 2008 slump, recovery in Hyderabad was marred by political uncertainty and characterised by fewer launches and declining capital values.

Since the residential sector is highly sentiment driven, the Hyderabad market failed to attract buyers.

According to property research firm Knight Frank Hyderabad will take more than two years to absorb the  current unsold inventory of  33,000 housing units.

Capital matters: Ongole getting all set for a bull run

With the chances of the Centre going back on bifurcation of the state becoming bleak, the focus is shifting to the location of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. The demand of public representatives from Rayalaseema to grant them at least the new capital is likely to complicate matters in the coming days.

The Congress high command's lack of clarity on where the new capital would be located has given scope for another tussle between the remaining two regions, Andhra and Rayalaseema. Though the Congress working committee allowed Hyderabad to remain as joint capital for 10 years, it also made it clear that Andhra Pradesh has to build its own capital and vacate Hyderabad.

Also, the demand for allocation of special fund for construction and development of infrastructure in the capital is likely to intensify trouble. According to sources, the Centre would appoint an experts' committee to study the advantages and disadvantages of various locations for setting up the new capital.

Hyderabad Realtors Rejoice As Political Uncertainty Ended

Real estate developers in Hyderabad feel the decision of the Congress Working Committee and the ruling UPA coalition's coordination committee to accord statehood to the Telangana region will augur well for their business in the long run.

"The business will pick up, as there is an end to political uncertainty over the issue," Rajeshwara Rao, chief executive of the Hyderabad chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, told Business Standard.

He is confident Hyderabad, which has world-class infrastructure facilities, will be the most attractive destination for large global investors. "It (the decision on statehood) is good for everybody. There will immediately be an inflow of investments into the city," said Narayan Reddy, promoter of Lumbini Constructions.

HMDA ignores illegal layouts

Numerous illegal layouts have mushroomed in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority jurisdiction over the last five years, to which the civic body turns a blind eye. This year, less than 100 applicants have approached the civic body for layout regularisation. Despite this, the number of unauthorised plots run into thousands.

Most of the applications are for huge residential complexes, gated communities and group housing scheme layouts. A handful of them are for individual residential layouts.

Since 2010, over 2,000 layouts (above 5 acres) have sprung up in the HMDA area. So far the civic body has given final approval for not more than 100 layouts.

31 July 2013

Brand Hyderabad to dazzle with Telangana rise

With the sun finally setting on the longdrawn T-uncertainty, Brand Hyderabad is set to shine once more and brighter at that.

Industry experts feel that the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh will put Hyderabad firmly back in the saddle as a global IT/ITeS hub, as it was primarily the political uncertainty that had helped Bangalore and Chennai cash in on Hyderabad's T-woes in the past four years rather than any actual limitations of Hyderabad.

30 July 2013

Mission Musi on the Anvil

In a bid to clean up the mess in the Musi river the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will engage the services of a consultancy to map the cost of the project for conservation and river front development of the water body. The project will clean up the stretch from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar to Bapughat in the city.

The body has invited request for proposals from the consultancies to conduct the feasibility study of Musi river development and preparation of conceptual design and plans demarcating the boundaries of Highest Flood Level(HFL) of the river.

International Institute of Information Technology @ Gachibowli, Hyderabad

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous university founded in 1998. It was set up as a not-for-profit public private partnership (N-PPP) and is the first IIIT to be set up (under this model) in India. The Government of Andhra Pradesh lent support to the institute by grant of land and buildings. A Governing Council consisting of eminent people from academia, industry and government presides over the governance of the institution.

G.O. proposing merger of 13 panchayats with GHMC issued

Barely a month after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) council unanimously rejected the move to add 15 gram panchayats to its jurisdiction, the government has issued orders proposing merger of 13 other gram panchayats.

The GO. 364 proposed the inclusion of areas covered under certain gram panchayats contiguous to the GHMC and called for suggestions and objections.

Mewar Varsity to set up campus in Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad

With an aim to make Hyderabad the education hub in South India, Rajasthan-basedMewar University has set up a research and development (R&D) centre in the city and is also planning to build a sprawling campus spread across 20 acres of land.

The new campus mooted at Ibrahimpatnam will provide courses in engineering, computer science, law, basic sciences, humanities and pharmacy.

Mewar University, an autonomous institution, was set up by the government of Rajasthan at Chittorgarh. The varsity has other branches in Srinagar and New Delhi.

29 July 2013

L&T asked to repair rain-battered roads in three metro rail corridors

Unhappy with the poor condition of roads which got battered by the recent heavy rains, senior officials of the roads & buildings, and municipal administration and urban development departments have directed the metro rail developer, L&T, to take up road repairs with their own funds on the three metro rail corridors.

Principal secretary (R&B) B Sam Bob,  principal secretaries (MAUD) SK Joshi and Adhar Sinha, GHMC commissioner,  MT Krishna Babu and Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director NVS Reddy, accompanied by other senior officials, inspected the re-carpeting and repair of damaged roads in the Greater Hyderabad limits on Saturday. The principal secretaries directed all the departments concerned to overcome shortcomings and clear drains and improve the roads in the next 10 days. They appealed to discerning citizens not to dump debris into potholes which might harm walkers and motorists alike. The GHMC has spent Rs 16 crore,  R&B and National Highways about Rs 8 crore and HMR Rs 6 crore on re-carpeting and repair of roads so far.

Hyderabad ORR Up For A Beautification Drive

The Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), has proposed to take up a beautification programme on the traffic islands of the Outer Ring Road (ORR). HMDA officials have proposed artifacts, sculptures, hard and soft landscaping, water bodies, and fountains on the traffic islands.

24x7 Patrol Planned on Outer Ring Road (ORR)

While the final lap of the 158-km long Outer Ring Road (ORR) starts to take a shape, the authorities have now initiated steps for having a round-the-clock patrol equipped with ambulances, paramedical personnel and emergency services.

28 July 2013

Indian School of Business (ISB) - Pictures










Andhra Pradesh Housing Board to take up mega housing project near international airport

Fund-starved Andhra Pradesh Housing Board (APHB) has decided to take up a mega housing project close to the international airport at Shamshabad. This is the first housing project being taken up by the APHB near the international airport.

Officials said the housing project mainly targets the higher income group (HIG) with 420 independent villas on its 125-acre land at Raviryal village in Maheshwaram mandal. Raviryal is on Pahadisharief-Tukkuguda road and the project site is located near the rear entrance of the airport.

The project is being divided into three categories -- 120 HIG-II housing units in an extent of 266 square (sq) yards each, 200 HIG-I units in 220 sq yards each and another 100 houses of middle income group (MIG). Since it is a major project and the site is close to the airport, the APHB is expecting huge response from public.

26 July 2013

Woxsen School of Business To Setup 200-Acre Campus in Hyderabad

UK-based education entrepreneur Praveen Pula promoted Woxsen School of Business plans to target the students wanting to become entrepreneurs and also part fund their start up ventures.

Dean R Narasimhan said the business school adopted a unique model in teaching the students on a global standard of excellence in leadership, organization, communication and strategy.

"Ernst & Young was appointed for guiding us in preparing curriculum and understand the demand for the courses we offer, apart from the other business feasibility analysis," he told ET on the sidelines of a media conference.

Uncertainty over Telangana issue hitting Hyderabad's realty market

Political uncertainties in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue has hit Hyderabad's residential market hard.

Developers are sitting on unsold housing stock of 28 percent of the units launched during last 3-4 years, says a report by global property consultant Knight Frank.

"33,000 homes are unsold in the primary residential market of Hyderabad till June 30, out of 1,18,000 housing units that have been launched by the developers over the last 3-4 years," Knight Frank India Chief Economist and Director Research Samantak Das told PTI.

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) 576 Acre Campus

IIT Hyderabad(IITH) is planned as a residential campus built on an area of 576 acres to accommodate a total population of 30,000, including 20,000 students with a total built up area of 2.1 million square meters.

The campus consists of academic area, residential area for students, residential area for faculty and staff and other support facilities. The growth of the campus is planned in three phases with a corresponding increase in the physical infrastructure and support facilities to accommodate an increase in the number students in established programs and new programs of the future.

24 July 2013

Infosys Campuses in Hyderabad: Operations Status

Pocharam SEZ Campus
IT&C Department Government of Andhra Pradesh had allotted 450 acres of Land to Infosys in 2007 for setting up worlds ICT largest campus. Infosys Technologies had committed 25,000 jobs(software professionals) in 10 years.
  • Phase-1 development in Progress in SEZ
  • 1.7 Million Sqft completely developed / 1.4 Million Sqft under construction
  • Current employees 8300+
  • Phase-1 fully build up capacity – 16-18000 IT workforce
  • Phase-2 Master plan under development – approx. for 25000 IT workforce
  • Total Commitment to Government 25, 000
  • Plans to hire over 40,000 in Hyderabad

Multi-Modal Suburban Rail Transport System(MMTS) Phase-2: Work To Begin In August 2013

10 Years of long waiting is coming to an end. The most awaiting Project MMTS Phase -2 work is likely to be started by end of August 2013. 6 tenders have been submitted for the prestigious project. L&T and GMR are the popular among the bidders who filed the tenders for the Second phase.

Initially GMR has opposed the inclusion of the line between Umdanagar and Shamshabad Airport which comes around 6.5 KMs. Hence this route has been removed from MMTS Second Phase works.

Hyderabad Metro Rail(HMR): Habsiguda Station (under construction)


Hyderabad Metro Rail(HMR) Work To Begin In Multiple Places

Of the 80 junctions where the elevated track atop the viaduct will be constructed across, 28 junctions require longer obligatory spans involving on the spot construction.

Brace up for tough commuting days ahead with construction of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project work beginning on viaducts crossing the road junctions. Work had begun at the Uppal crossroads and the Habsiguda junction.

Once supervising engineers of HMR and concessionaire L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) gain expertise from these two spans, work on taking up five to eight road junctions crossovers across the three metro corridors in one go will be attempted, said HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy on Sunday.

Hyderabad Metro Rail: View of Uppal Depot Operation Control Center (under construction)


Hyderabad Metro Rail: View of Uppal Depot Test Track Area (under construction)


23 July 2013

Proposed: Saket Hi-Rise Project at Edula Nagulapalli

Proposed gated Integrated township consisting of Villas, Hi-rise Apartments (+ 25 Floors), Commercial & Recreational Spaces, covering an extent of 22 Acres, near Outer Ring Road, Edul Nagulapally, Medak District (towards West of High Tech City). Project is scheduled to start by November, 2014.
 
Seems like this may be the first hi-rise project in this area. Hope to see more details on this project.
 

Lanco Hills View

 by Hamza Khan

HMDA finally takes steps to prevent accidents on ORR

With spurt in road accidents on Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has decided to engage a private contractor for "incident management", which includes providing road patrols, surveillance, first aid, ambulances and other road safety works apart from providing crash barriers and other regular maintenance works.

Toll collection has started on ORR stretches Gachibowli-Shamshabad, Pedda Amberpet-Patancheru and Narsingi-Patancheru, which were opened for traffic in different phases. Though toll is being collected, there is no mechanism in place for road safety and incident management system. The local police have been assisting whenever a road accident occurs on the ORR.

Beyond ORR: 290KM Regional Ring Road (RRR)

With the Outer Ring Road (ORR) starting to finally fall in place and is likely to be completed by 2014, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is now looking forward to laying the Regional Ring Road (RRR).

Proposed in the Master Plan, which has been submitted to the government for approval, the ambitious RRR plan has a 290-km long road network circling the city beyond the ORR.

21 July 2013

Shankarpally Road - Taken at Mokila

This Shankarpally Road picture is taken in Mokila.


Photo by

Outer Ring Road(ORR) Junctions and Google Earth Screenshots

ORR Nanakramguda Junction/Exit:

ORR Narsingi Junction/Exit:

Gachibowli to Rajapushpa's Retreat at Kokapet


This video covers the route from Gachibowli ORR entrance to Rajapushpa's Retreat Apartment project at Kokapet. This covers the entire stretch of 8.4 KMs on ORR by car drive. This video gives a nice view of ORR and ORR Service Road.

Gachibowli ORR Entrance -> Travel on ORR -> Take Nanakramguda Junction Exit on left -> Merge onto ORR Service Road towards Narsingi(parallel to ORR) ->  Get onto Osman Sagar Rd -> Travel towards Gandipet by crossing Narsingi Flyover -> End at Rajapushpa's Retreat project(this comes after passing Tata Institute of Fundamental Research).

The route covered in Google Maps:




Traffic islands on Outer Ring Road to look more aesthetic

Soon rotaries, central medians (traffic islands) and interchanges on traffic islands of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) will look more aesthetic as the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), a wing of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), proposes to take up a beautification programme.

Also, to facilitate entry and exit from ORR and to regulate traffic, interchanges, rotaries, central medians will be constructed along the ORR at national highways, state highways and MDR junctions.

Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) at Gachibowli Hyderabad


Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) is setup at Gachibowli, Hyderabad in 1998. Over the course of the past 14 plus years, it has expanded to become one of Microsoft Corporation’s largest R&D centers outside its headquarters in Redmond.

MSIDC is a part of Microsoft Corporation’s strategy of global shared development where teams across geographies collaborate to build great software and services.

Lanco Infratech leases 80,000 sq ft in IT SEZ to Sutherland

Lanco Infratech today said its subsidiary has leased 80,000 sq ft of office space in its IT special economic zone (SEZ) at Hyderabad to BPO firm Apollo Health Street.

Lanco Hills Technology Park Ltd has signed up with a BPO and technology management services Apollo Health Street, a group company of US-based Sutherland Global Services for 80,000 sq ft of SEZ space.

'Q City' IT Park at Financial District, Hyderabad

Q City, Hyderabad is a modern international IT Park located in the emerging business district of Gachi Bowli. Adjacent to the prestigious Indian School of Business, the property enjoys a prominent setting among the sprawling campuses of marquee organisations such as Microsoft, Computer Associates, Wipro, UBS and InfoSys. The property also benefits from close links to Hi-Tech City and Banjara Hills.

The campus consists of two Class A office buildings, connected by means of a glass paneled interconnecting walkway. The development totals approx. 8 lakh square foot commercial space, with Block A constituting 192,000 sft over 10 floors and Block B of 600,000 sft over 9 floors.

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) Campus at Bhanur, Hyderabad

The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was established in 1970 to undertake the manufacture of guided missiles. The company has one unit at Bhanur, Hyderabad.

The BDL started off with the production of anti-tank missiles under license from France and Russia; it is now the prime production agency for missiles developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). The company has a design and engineering division for developing and upgrading products required by India's armed forces. BDL has grown steadily.