When political continuity became a turning point
After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the creation of Telangana, there were fears of a slowdown in investment in Hyderabad. These fears proved to be unfounded. File | Photo credit: NAGARA GOPAL
A turning point in the city’s development came in the late 1990s when N. Chandrababu Naidu took over as Chief Minister and visualized HITEC City – the third city to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad – with its iconic cyber towers at Madhapur, on the western side of Hyderabad, beyond the Jubilee Hills. Cyber Towers was completed in a remarkable 14 months and soon became a popular destination for IT companies. HITEC City grew to Cyberabad, included Gachibowli and beyond, and there was no looking back.
A number of private technical colleges also appeared. Extending his aggressive marketing skills to a level known only to him, Mr. Naidu managed to convince Bill Gates to set up Microsoft in Hyderabad, its first offshore center outside the United States. Another coup of sorts was bringing the Indian School of Business (ISB) to the city. 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 from a severe drought, Mr Naidu paid a political price, yielding to Congress Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
By this time, Hyderabad had become a magnet for IT and services, second only to Bengaluru.
The city has been rather fortunate to have experienced political continuity during its rapid development over the past two and a half decades. Political leaders, regardless of party affiliation, continued to contribute to the development and expansion of the city. YSR’s notable contributions included the Nehru Outer Ring Road, the PVNR Expressway and the Hyderabad Metro Rail, all of which significantly boosted connectivity.
Yes, Hyderabad has developed a lot, but it still suffers from poor road infrastructure and an unreliable storm water drainage system. This is partly because most chief ministers saw tall towers as symbols of development. and they never delved deeper into the reasons why Hyderabad faces perennial floods.
Building permits were being granted right, left and centre, with little regard for the city’s natural, rolling landscape and hundreds of lakes. To top it all off, building regulation schemes were enforced with little 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 buildings and rock formations.
After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the creation of Telangana, there were fears of a slowdown in investment in Hyderabad. These fears proved to be unfounded. The new Telangana Rashtra Samithi, later renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi, under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, took the development of the city forward. His pet project of building the majestic Telangana Secretariat overlooking the Hussain Sagar and improving the lake’s surroundings brought about a much-needed makeover for the city. The then IT minister KT Rama Rao took special interest in improving the city’s infrastructure, adding landmarks such as the Durgam Cheruvu cable-stayed bridge, laying new roads and revamping and widening the existing ones.
With young Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy taking the reins of the BRS, the city is expected to be the fourth city towards the south of Hyderabad, its most neglected area. His push for a plan to rejuvenate the Musi River and remove encroachments from the lakes could hopefully lead to a better Hyderabad.
K. Venkateshwarlu, Former Resident Editor, The Hind, Andhra Pradesh
Published – 04 Sep 2026 12:54 IST