orasparkle

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority had announced as many as 22 satellite townships around the Outer Ring Road three years back. However, except for one at Tellapur and the other at Srinagar, the others have remained on paper. Townships were planned at Medchal, Goudavelli, Dommata, Pochampally, Bowrampet, Aliyapur, Sultanpur, Khardanur, Paatighanpur, Edulanagulapalli, Kollur, Balapur, Nadargul, Thorrur, Munaganuru, Kuntluru, Korremul, Rampalli, Cheryala, Dharmaram, and Shamirpet. The proposed township policy, which promised to give stake to land losers in these townships, has also not been given final shape though the Phase- I of the Outer Ring Road is all set to be opened for vehicular traffic.

The township at Tellapur is being developed by New York- based firm, Tishman Speyer, and the one at Srinagar is being taken up by Ramkey Infrastructures. Both are integrated townships comprising of residential and commercial ventures and other business facilities.

But even HMDA officials are not sure whether the remaining townships will come into being or not. Major reasons for the projects not taking off are the real estate slump, problems pertaining to large-scale acquisition of land and widespread agitations by farmers and political parties.

Efforts by the government to rope in private parties and the HMDA’s attempt to raise money through auctions also failed. "We hope the global recession will ease and private players will once again come forward to take up such projects," says an official.