Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy has asked the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to prepare a comprehensive master plan including land use, road, railways and footpaths using GIS mapping techniques. The 7,100sq km area is the third largest in India after Delhi and Bangalore Metropolitan Development Authorities. It is estimated that the population of the HMDA this year would cross 10 million.
At the first board meeting of the HMDA, the chief minister, who is also its chairman, directed the officials to reduce the development charges by 75 per cent for villages and other municipalities that have been added to the HMDA jurisdiction. The HMDA central office will be located at Madhapur and four zonal offices will be set up at Shankarpally, Medchal, Ghatkesar and Shamshabad. There would be eight service centres and the HMDA will have an exclusive IT wing.
The meeting also approved the proposal to recruit staff for the HMDA on outsourcing.