The Year - At a Glance

February

2023 Hyderabad ePrix launched

The Telangana government and Formula E signed a “letter of intent” on January 17, 2022, to host the Hyderabad E-Prix. For the first time, Formula E made its way to India on February 11, 2023. Indian fans, eager to witness the race firsthand, flocked to the Hyderabad Street Circuit with high hopes. It was also the first motorsport event hosted by the country as part of an FIA-sanctioned World Championship since the 2013 Indian Grand Prix a decade prior.

March

TSPSC paper leak rocks Telangana

Telangana government job seekers were outraged after police confirmed that the question paper for a recruitment exam held by the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) on March 5 had been leaked. TSPSC held an exam to fill 833 assistant engineer, municipal assistant engineer, technical officer, and junior technical officer positions in various engineering departments. The exam had been taken by 55,000 people.

KTR inaugurates T WORKS

IT minister KT Rama Rao along with Foxconn Chairman and CEO Young Liu inaugurated T-Works in Hyderabad on March 2, 2023. This is a prototyping facility that will help India become a global leader in product innovation. More than 1,000 people attended the inaugural event, including CEOs and founders of major corporations, entrepreneurs, artists, and hobbyists from around the world. The attendees were given a guided tour of the facility, which displayed state-of-the-art equipment, tools, prototypes, and products made with various machinery at T Works. Mother Jane’s live performance and laser show added to the excitement of the inaugural.

Swapnalok Complex catches fire

On March 16, 2023, a major fire incident was reported at the Swapnalok Complex in Patny, Secunderabad. During the incident, eighteen people became trapped inside the complex and were rescued by fire services personnel in separate batches. According to officials, the fire started on the seventh floor of the building’s B-block and spread to the other floors due to a possible short circuit. Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi visited the place to check the rescue operations.

April

Tallest statue of Dr Ambedkar

On Dr Babasaheb’s 132nd birth anniversary, April 14, Chief Minister KCR unveiled India’s tallest statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar, standing at 125 feet. The ceremony was held on a grand scale, with plans in place to ensure that over 35,000 people from all 119 constituencies attended. A total of 750 state-run Road Transport Corporation buses were available to the public.

Telangana gets new State Secretariat

Telangana’s newly constructed State secretariat was inaugurated on April 30 by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in a traditional ceremony. The cutting-edge complex is intended to house all government departments under one roof, making it easier for the general public to access various services. Traditional customs and rituals were used in the inauguration ceremony.

PM launches Secunderabad Station Redevelopment

On April 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Telangana, laid the groundwork for the redevelopment of Secunderabad Railway Station. At Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, he was greeted by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. Bandi Sanjay, the chief of the Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was also present at the airport. During the programme, the Prime Minister launched 13 new Multi-Modal Transport Service (MMTS) services in the Hyderabad-Secunderabad twin city region.

June

Martyrs Memorial inaugurated

Telangana Martyrs Memorial, also known as Telangana Amara Jyothi or Amaraveerula Stupam, is a memorial built for 369 students who died during the 1969 Telangana statehood movement. It was inaugurated by CM K Chandrashekar Rao on 22nd June 2023. It is the largest seamless stainless-steel memorial built in the world and is five times bigger than Cloud Gate. Aekka Yadagiri Rao, a “nationally acclaimed sculptor,” and former JNTU Professor of Sculpture, designed and built the monument. The memorial stands 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and is divided into five sections.

August

GHMC sanitation workers strike

Employees of GHMC, representing all divisions, went on strike on August 18, demanding better wages and regularisation of contract and outsourcing workers in the corporation.

1,000 bed hospital near Chest Hospital

In a matter of months of Budget announcement, construction began for the 1,000-bed super-speciality hospital at Sanathnagar. The building is coming up on a plot of land abutting the Government Chest Hospital in Erragadda. The Chest Hospital that was the repurposed Irramnuma Palace built in 1888 has been left intact.

September

LuLu Mall opens in Hyd

UAE-based retailer Lulu Group opened its first shopping mall in Hyderabad at Kukatpally. Former IT and Industries minister K T Rama Rao inaugurated the 5-lakh sq ft mall. The estimated cost for this project was more than Rs 300 crore.

October

23-km cycling track inaugurated

The country’s first-ever 23 km-long bicycle track with a solar roof was inaugurated by municipal and urban development minister K T Rama Rao on October 1. The track stretches between Nanakramguda, TSPA circle, including Narsingi, and Kollur via ORR between the main carriageway and the city-side service road.

TS govt unveils Bio Diversity Action Plan

Telangana emerges as the first State in India to release ‘Telangana State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan’ (TSBAP), 2023-2030 on October 5 by incorporating the key factors post adoption of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It explains measures for promoting the conservation of biodiversity through CSR activities of the various PSUs and private sector units.