Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao said that any major city would be in for major problems if its infrastructure development is not paced up with its growth.
The Telangana government had been focusing on development of infrastructure in the State Capital and its surroundings to cater to its growing needs, Mr. Rama Rao said while inaugurating the three-day national conference of the Indian Institute of Architects – NATCON-21 here on Saturday.
Stating that Telangana was one of most urbanised States in the country, he said that about 46% of the State’s population was residing in cities and towns. “As Mahatma Gandhi said, the country’s economy is driven by cities though India was living in villages. Urbanisation in Telangana will be very rapid in the next 5-10 years and the government will have to cope with the demand for better infrastructure,” he said.
The Minister said that international agency Mercer had adjudged Hyderabad as the most liveable city in India for five consecutive years from 2015 to 2020. The city was also ranked very high in many parameters of liveability. He explained about TS-iPASS and TS-bPASS laws made by the State government and their impact on economic growth.
Stating that there were many apprehensions when Telangana came into being about 8 years back, Mr. Rama Rao said that the State had done exceedingly well and achieved enviable growth despite adversities, including the pandemic impact.
Citing the statistics of the RBI handbook of October 2021, he said that the per capita income had gone up from ₹1.24 lakh in 2014 to ₹2.78 lakh in 2021 with a growth rate of 128%.
Similarly, the GSDP had gone up from ₹5.06 lakh crore in 2014 to ₹11.55 lakh crore in 2022. Telangana was the 11 th largest State geographically and population wise, while it was the 4 th largest contributor to GDP. “With 5% contribution to GDP, Telangana is punching double its weight”, Mr. Rama Rao said.
The Minister stated that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was the chief architect of Telangana’s growth and added that Hyderabad and Secunderabad house 20 different styles of Indian and overseas architectural styles presenting a perfect blend of heritage and modern style. He also announced that IIA would be given land for its buildings on the campus of Centre for Urban Excellence here.
Senior architects Shirish R. Berry and K.T. Ravindran were presented the Baburao Mhatre and Madhav Achwal gold medals for their contribution to the field of architecture. President of IIA C.R. Raju, chairman of Telangana chapter Uday Shankar Doni, convenor Sridhar Gopishetty and others spoke.
