Hyderabad: Even amid a sluggish real estate market, Hyderabad’s skyline is witnessing unprecedented vertical growth — dotted with skyscrapers. Data shows, by 2029–30, the city’s skyline — especially along the IT corridor — will be flaunting a few dozen high rises, many of them standing at 60 floors and beyond.While approvals were granted for around 100 high rises buildings in 2024, the figure surged to nearly 200 in 2025. Of these, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) sanctioned 102 high rises while the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) approved an additional 90 tall buildings — a sharp jump from just 55 in 2024.The number of floors in these residential projects has also seen an upward rise.Until 2023, the tallest ongoing project in Hyderabad was a 50-floor tower in Kancha Gachibowli. Over the past two years that’s scaled up to touch the 60-floor mark, with many seeking approvals for 70 floors and more. Some of the newly approved developments include a 70-floor tower in Osman Nagar and a 66-floor project in Kokapet — both comparable in height to global landmarks such as Trump Towers (202 metres) and Bank of America towers in New York (230 metres).Land prices pushing growth?Realtors attribute this vertical boom to Floor Space Index (FSI) regulations and rising land prices. With no cap on FSI, they say developers are aggressively pursuing tall structures, particularly in western Hyderabad, which has emerged as a hub for high rise clusters.Realtors say that developers are aggressively pushing high-rise projects to justify escalating land prices, with many competing to build taller towers and add more floors. “To attract buyers, developers are branding these projects by offering a wide range of amenities such as clubhouses, banquet halls, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, swimming pools and co-working spaces,” said N Praveen, president, Telangana state realtors association.At present, Hyderabad has an estimated 1,800 high rise buildings — about 1,300 within GHMC limits and remaining along the ORR under HMDA jurisdiction — making it the city with the highest number of such towers in south India.HMDA officials said that while the pace of approvals was slower earlier, the past three years have seen a sharp rise . “Most high rise developments are concentrated in Kokapet, Tellapur, Nallagandla and Osman Nagar. In areas with limited road width, buildings are restricted to 10 to 15 floors, but where road infrastructure and Transferable Development Rights (TDR) are favourable, permissions are being granted for towers exceeding 30 floors,” said a senior official, planning wing, HMDA.Rise in costsBut developers admit that tall buildings come with higher costs for residents. The added construction costs make high rise apartments priced at anywhere upwards of Rs 10,000 per square feet (sft). On an average, the price of apartments in the city ranges in the Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 per sft bracket.“Also, maintenance charges in many apartments above floors are higher — typically hovering Rs 6 per sft as opposed to the usual Rs 3 per sft — due to increased expenditure on lifts, power backup, security, fire safety and other maintenance,” said N Jaideep Reddy, president, CREDAI HyderabadGFXSome of the tallest buildings in HyderabadAreaHeight of the buildingNo of floorsOsman Nagar250 metres70Kokapet225 metres66Kokapet218 metres63Tellapur206 metres59Kokapet190 metres56Tellapur158 metres50Kancha Gachibowli158 metres50Approved venturesHMDA officials say one recently approved development in Kokapet spans 2.17 acres and comprises a single block with five cellars, a ground floor and 63 upper floors, with a gross built-up area of 15.45 lakh sft housing 362 units. Another major project in the same locality covers 7.71 acres and consists of five blocks, each rising five cellars, ground plus 56 floors, with a total built-up area of 55.44 lakh sft and 656 residential units.
