Uppal Kalan

Uppal Kalan is a municipality in the district of Rangareddi, in Andhra Pradesh. It is also known by several other names such as Uppal, Oopal, Upal, and Pedda Uppal. The municipality consists of the villages of Uppal, Ramanthapur, and Habsiguda. Geographically, it is located east of the state’s capital city of Hyderabad, specifically on the National Highway 202 to Warangal and the northern bank of the river Musi, which separates the historic old city of Hyderabad with the new one. As of the 2001 Indian census, Uppal Kalan had a population of about 111,259, with the males consituting about 52% of the population and the females making up the remaining 48%. The average literacy rate of the municipality is 73%, which is higher than the national average of 59.5%.

The municipality is one of the projected growing ones in Andhra Pradesh. In 2001, the civic body of Uppal topped the rating list of the municipalities because of its efficient functioning in the state. As proof of this, the municipality officials decided to adopt the Chandigarh model as its basis for the planning and urban development of Uppal Kalan in the first part of the decade (Chandigarh is known internationally for its architecture and urban planning, and is the first planned city of India). Among the main features of the proposed remodeling and planning included the massive increase in the green cover in all the 24 wards of the municipality, the systemic and meticulously planned development of the colonies in the municipality, the granting of permissions for all future constructions that are in keeping up of future projections of growth, and the installation of a modern sewage system. The development of the nearby localities as envisioned in a satellite township-model development in order to lessen congestion were also planned, as well as the improvement of sanitary water supply conditions through the division of sectors of the municipal area.

In light of these proposed developments, Uppal Kalan became the first municipality in Andhra Pradesh to have a full-fledged underground sewerage network. The project, whose first phase started in 2003, cost Rs. 32 crores or Rs. 320 million (roughly equivalent to about US$6.6 million). The project was projected to permanently solve the problem of inadequate sewerage of the municipality. The first phase involved the revamping of the sewerage system of the Habsiguda region while the second phase, completed in the first few quarters of 2006, saw to the development of the Ramanthapur and Uppal sewerage networks.

There are several places of interest for Uppal Kalan. The major ones include the Advanced Training Institute for Electronics and Process Instrumentation (ATI-EPI) and the Doordarshan Kendra TV Studios, both located in Ramanthapur, the Professor G.M. Reddy Foundation, and the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, which is the principal cricket stadium in Hyderabad. Those who are interested in religion can find the Uppal Mosque there, which is an ancient mosque built in the 17th century. The Lord Sri Rama Temple and the Lord Sri Venkateshwara Temple are also interesting spots for those who are into Hinduism.