Gates opened for Hyderabad Growth Corridor

DESARAJU SURYA

Hyderabad: The state government has finally opened the gates for "planned and regulated" development along the 162-km Hyderabad Outer Ring Road by coming out with a Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP) for the Growth Corridor (ORRGC). The CMP covers a one-km belt on either side of the ORRGC and has a set of Special Development Regulations that are intended to "promote planned development and curb haphazard and ribbon development." The CMP is expected to give fresh impetus to economic activity along the162-km stretch -- a one-of-its-kind in the country -- as the government did not permit any development activity for over two years now. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department issued the CMP notification on Wednesday. The government is planning to announce special incentives to encourage major projects that would cater to a larger population and also provide better infrastructure, sources in the MAUD Department said. Special incentives will be offered to large integrated townships and large educational institutions that come up on land up to 400 acres. A special committee will soon be constituted by the government to look into development issues related to the ORRGC. A special unit is also being created for dealing with applications for permission to develop\undertake building constructions in the ORRGC and also enforcing the regulations, the MAUD sources added. "We are also working on a separate policy on the planning standards and public-private partnership models along the ORRGC," highly-placed official sources said. The government feels the CMP would spur widespread development along the ORRGC and construction activity would also get a push. "Hype around the ORRGC has so far only been speculative but with the ORR works going on in full steam, the entire stretch will become a popular destination for investment," a senior MAUD official said. The government also wants to encash the opportunity to strengthen its financial resources and ensure overall development of physical and social infrastructure within the ORRGC. Land use in the ORRGC has been classified as a multi-purpose zone. The ORRGC will be characterised by two SDZs of 500 mts wide each (SDZ-1 and SDZ-2). No expansion of existing industries and no new industries will be permitted within the SDZs while existing industrial estates will remain part of it only if they are "non-polluting." The ORRGC will, have three categories of zones: SDZs for residential, commercial and industrial development (non-polluting units), social infrastructure, institutional and work centres; open space and recreational zone for parks, green buffers, lakes, nalas and reserve forests; transportation and circulation zone for roads, parking lots, truck terminals, warehousing, wholesale market yards among others.