London Mayor Boris Johnson has evinced interest in partnering with the State Government in regeneration of Hyderabad city, which he claimed had made huge strides on the infrastructure front.
Growing population
The United Kingdom Government has expertise and traction in urban regeneration which could be utilised for developing the State Capital to meet the requirements of the growing population of the “Hi-tech centre”. He requested the Government to consider entering into tie-ups with London’s firms in the ambitious project launched for cleaning Hussainsagar lake and designing an intelligent transport system.
He was responding to presentation made by the State Government on infrastructure development works like Metro Rail project and lake cleaning. The London Mayor’s two-day visit to Hyderabad coincided with the visit of a 22-member UK Trade Mission to India.
Mr. Johnson who addressed a delegation of Ministers and senior officials on Wednesday made repeated enquiries about the proposed Hyderabad Metro Rail, claiming putting in place an effective transport system was “must” for the burgeoning metropolis.
Lake cleaning project
Referring to the lake cleaning project, he said London had considerable expertise in the development of riverfront projects and the State Government could leverage this to its advantage.
He said he was “fascinated” with infrastructure development works unfolding in the city and that capacity addition due to significant increase in population had become a focus area for both London and Hyderabad.
Municipal Administration Minister M. Maheedhar Reddy said population in the urban areas of the State was 33.4 per cent compared to the national average of 30 per cent and the Government had initiated reforms like data integration at policy and service levels. He told the visiting delegation about the prestigious Outer Ring Road project and said the Government was now mulling a peripheral road project to ensure effective connectivity to rural areas.
Infrastructure and Investment Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Mayor Majid Hussain also spoke. Officials said no joint venture deals had been finalised during the meeting which marked a beginning of greater partnership between the two cities.
