The proposed Rs.100-crore Hyderabad Habitat Centre (HHC) that is being planned at Khanamet will promote and showcase to world tourists the heritage, art, culture and theatre of the 400-year-old city.
IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said the centre would be supported and funded by the Telangana government, and would have space for artistes to perform and promote their culture. Inaugurating the Telangana Chamber of Events Industry (TCEI) here on Wednesday, Mr. Rama Rao said tourism and hospitality were poised for a big leap in the new State given the huge potential and proactive government policies.
The Minister said that even investors were not looking at just land, tax concessions and infrastructure, but also a lifestyle for their employees.
“We want to fit Hyderabad into such a scheme of things and make it a world brand,” he said.
Stating that his concept of ‘Happening Hyderabad’ had taken off, Mr. Rao said even the Indian Badminton League (IBL) had evinced interest, while a big player in the entertainment industry had expressed its desire to hold south Indian film events in Hyderabad for the next three years. The details would be revealed soon.
‘Happening Hyderabad’ was launched with plans to organise 52 events in 52 weeks in the year, but the Government had already received requests for 152 events.
Responding to TCEI Secretary Neeraj K.S. Thakur’s request to make Hyderabad police ‘event-friendly’, Mr. Rama Rao said a meeting would soon be arranged with the police to look into their issues. He also promised single-window clearances for events involving the GHMC and HMDA.
Mr. Thakur earlier requested the government to support the TCEI to make Hyderabad an ‘Events City’. The events industry in Telangana was worth about Rs.300 crore, which had only 40 per cent in the organised sector.
Courtesy : The Hindu