HYDERABAD: Telangana has unveiled a future-ready development plan integrating ecological restoration, tourism-led growth, mobility modernisation and heritage conservation.
The strategy aims to expand forest cover, develop biodiversity and wildlife corridors, promote ecotourism and strengthen community-led NTFP value chains. These efforts aim to link local livelihoods with global wellness markets and enable communities to generate carbon credits.
“For decades, we have treated forests as isolated pockets. With biodiversity corridors, we are reversing that fragmentation… This is a systemic shift that enables wildlife movement, sustainable incomes and access to climate finance,” a senior forest official told TNIE.
Tourism is positioned as a major economic engine, connecting forests, rural regions, heritage towns and urban centres. The state’s vision combines heritage and pilgrimage circuits with river-based ecotourism, festivals, wellness tourism, MICE events and craft and agri-based experiences.
“We want every district to feel the economic pulse of tourism… Our model ensures tourism creates jobs and MSMEs, but never at the cost of ecology or community dignity,” Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary (Tourism, Culture and Heritage), told TNIE.
Hyderabad is being readied for a major transformation by 2047, aiming to emerge among the world’s top 10 investment and innovation hubs.
A mobility overhaul spanning 623 km of Metro Rail, LRTS and BRTS, integrated with MMTS, unified mobility cards and advanced digital systems, will facilitate seamless transit. Heritage precincts and cultural corridors will be revitalised to reinforce the city’s global identity.
Multiple agencies — GHMC, HMDA, HMRL/HAML, HRDCL, HMWSSB, TGSPDCL, TGIIC and tourism and police departments — have shaped the mega-plan under five major themes. Key initiatives include high-demand bus corridors, airport transit spines, future-ready PRT systems, drone logistics, smart urban freight management and 1,000 km of protected walking and cycling corridors.
Urban design-led redevelopment will remediate brownfield industrial zones within the ORR and convert them into clean-industry districts, cultural hubs or innovation clusters. Dense localities and informal settlements will be redeveloped with integrated access to jobs, healthcare, education and transit. Heritage conservation efforts will pursue UNESCO World Heritage status for the Old City and modernise museums.
A large-scale streetscape transformation will deliver 1,500 km of people-first corridors with shaded walkways, universal access, vendor zones and traffic-calming features. Over 100 parks and plazas will be upgraded or created to enhance urban vibrancy. Ward-level retrofitting will strengthen utilities, streets and public spaces, while Hawker Centres 2.0 will function as regulated 24/7 markets.
The Blue-Green Hyderabad 2047 initiative forms the environmental core of the plan, focusing on rejuvenating the Musi Riverfront and more than 100 urban lakes through interconnected green streets, restored wetlands, improved stormwater systems and enhanced public access to water bodies. It also outlines future-ready plan linking ecology, mobility, heritage and community livelihoods.
Shaded walkways planned in state
A large-scale streetscape transform-ation will deliver 1,500 km of people-first corridors with shaded walkways, universal access, vendor zones and traffic-calming features. Over 100 parks and plazas will be upgraded or created to enhance urban vibrancy, said officials. Ward-level retrofitting will strengthen utilities, streets and public spaces