Hyderabad

• Hyderabad lies in the south-west part of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the capital and the largest city in Andhra Pradesh. It is the fourth most populour city and the sixth most populous urban agglomeration in India. Hyderabad can be classified into five zones – North, South, East, West and Central.
• Sultan Muhammad Quli who belonged to the Qutub Shahi dynasty was the founder of the city. He named the city Bhagyanagar after his beloved wife, Bhagyamati, in 1590. However, after entering the royal household, she embraced Islam and was rechristened Hydermahal. Consequently, the city got its second name, Hyderabad.
• Hyderabad is also known as Cyberabad (Cyber city) considering that it is a renowned global center for Information Technology. City of Pearls is another sobriquet by which the city is known by as it has a flourishing industry engaged in the pearl trade. Besides, it was also the only global trade center of diamonds, until the 18th century.
• Hyderabad has contributed substantially to the growth of the Indian economy. The city houses the largest number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the country. Some of the major industrial sectors of Hyderabad are the traditional manufacturing sector, the Knowledge sector that includes the IT sector, and the Tourism sector. The Service sector is also an important contributor to the economy of the state.
• Compared to most other cities, the real estate sector of Hyderabad has remained stable over a period of time. Hence it is considered an important realty destination for affordable housing. About 80% of the realty demand of the city is end-user driven. Some of the important public sector companies in Hyderabad are Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Hindustan Machine Tools Limited (HMT), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Besides, the pharmaceutical and electronic indusries, established in the city in the 1970s are also booming industries, lending the city the nickname ‘Gateway to South-central India’ due to their strategic location.

Demographics:

• The population of Hyderabad was pegged to be 6,809,970 as per the 2011 census, which makes it the fourth most populous city in India. It is expected that the population of the Hyderabad Metropolitan area would be approximately 10 million by the end of 2013.
• The population of the Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration is around 7,749,334, which makes it the sixth most populous urban agglomeration in the country.
• The population density is around 18,480/square km.
• A majority of the population consists of migrants from other parts of the country, which is approximately about 24% of the total population.

Information Technology:

• Hyderabad comes immediately after Bangalore with regards to the number of IT companies that have been established here. Emphasis has been given to development of the IT sector in the city since the 1990s. Many software companies, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms and firms providing technological and knowledge services have been set up in the city.
• Currently, there are more than 1300 IT/ITeS companies established in the city, contributing 15% of India’s and 98% of Andhra Pradesh’s exports in the IT/ITeS sectors. Some of the major IT companies that have been established in Hyderabad include Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Accenture, Oracle, IBM, Verizon, Google, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Microsoft, Amazon, Capgemini, Cognizant, Genpact, Dell etc.
• Large-scale investments have been made by constructing various IT campuses across the city to facilitate the growth and development of companies investing in the growth of the IT sector of the city. The HITEC City (Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy City) is a major technology township that has been developed as the center of the information technology industry in the city. It consists of various campuses and phases, as well as residential areas for IT professionals, convention centers and malls. Besides, there are other areas like Gachibowli and Kondapur, which focus on the IT sector.

Connectivity:

• The city connects other parts of Andhra Pradesh as well as neighbouring states through important roads like AH-43, NH-9, NH-7 and NH-202.
• The Hyderabad International Airport, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, is located at Shamshabad, about 25 km south of the city.
• The Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, also called the Nampally Railway Station, is located at Nampally, just about 3 km from the city center. The Secunderabad Railway Station, located 7 km north of the city center at Secunderabad, is another important railway station in the city. Besides there is also the Lingampally Railway Station located at Serilingampally, about 25 km west of the city center.
• The city is also well connected through the sub-urban rail system or Multi-Modal Transit System (MMTS), providing first-class commuter travel. It has been developed as a joint venture between the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the South-Central railway.
• The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates a fleet of bus services covering the length and breadth of the city. It is the state owned road transport corporation of Andhra Pradesh which maintains its autonomy with regards to the road transport service of the city.
• The proposed Hyderabad Metro Rail is coming up in two phases. Phase I, being developed along three corridors, covering a total distance of 71 km, is expected to be operational by March, 2015.

Localities in Hyderabad