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The Telangana government is gearing up to showcase Hyderabad as the most happening city and boost its brand image during the XI Metropolis World Congress 2014, the first international conference to be held in the city after the formation of the new state.
The four-day conference, to be held from October 7, is expected to be attended by over 2,000 delegates from over 100 international cities and elected and public officials from about 100 Indian Tier I and Tier II cities. So far, 600 registrations have been received from 47 Indian cities and abroad.
The state government had issued an order waiving the registration fee, which was initially pegged at over $200 for each foreign delegate, to ensure wider participation in the event.The theme of the ensuing event is ‘Cities for all’. The event is being held for the first time in India.
“We foresee that the event is not only going to make a big impact on Hyderabad but also make many other cities in the country to emulate the progress made by the state capital,” commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Somesh Kumar, told Business Standard.
Created in 1985, the Metropolis Association is represented by more than 130 members from across the world and operates as an international forum for exploring issues and concerns common to all metropolitan regions. The 10th metropolitan world congress was held in 2011 at Porte Alegre, Brazil. The earlier editions were held in Sydney, Berlin, Seoul Barcelona, Tokyo, Montreal, Melbourne and Mexico City.
The GHMC chief said the corporation had earmarked Rs 11.5 crore for hosting the event. An additional Rs 3.5 crore could be incurred on branding exercise and beautification of the city. The state government and urban bodies like the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority would also partly fund the event, while the State Bank Hyderabad, some IT companies and Hyderabad Metro Rail have evinced interest in sponsoring the conference.
Kumar said the GHMC had identified nine places in the city to show the delegates. These include the IT corridor, Falaknuma Palace, Metro Rail, Hussain Sagar and Rs 5-a meal centres apart from historical Charminar, Golconda Fort and Chaumahalla Palace. “We are also planning to hold B2B and G2G sessions” during the conference, he said.
Rs 20,000 cr for roads and modernisation of nalas
The GHMC commissioner said the corporation had long-term plans to develop 1,000 km of roads and mordernise 1,500 nalas (drains) in the city at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore over the next 4-5 years. This amount includes cost of acquisition of land and houses wherever required.
“The new roads, to be developed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore, will be much bigger than the existing one. The first 25-km of road development has already commenced in Banjara Hills,” he said, adding a particular stretch of road would be given for development to a single contractor, who would also be entrusted with maintaining it for a period of five years on annuity basis.
Similarly, he said, nalas would be modernised at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore so that they would have adequate and uniform width to ensure smooth flow of water. “There are 10 major nalas and an equal number of secondary ones. If these are tackled, there will not be any water logging in the city even after a heavy rain,” he said.
Asked about funding, he said the GHMC revenues were expected to double from the current level of Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 5,000 crore by next year. “So, I can generate a surplus revenue of Rs 1,000 crore a year. With this, I can get a loan of Rs 20,000 crore,” he added.
