Kokapet, Hyderabad, is quickly establishing itself as the city’s premier real estate hotspot, with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) approving an impressive array of towering developments. Among these are a stunning 63-story residential tower featuring 362 units on a 2.17-acre plot, and a sprawling five-tower, 56-floor complex spread across 7.71 acres. Another massive mixed-use project in the area boasts 66 lakh square feet of built-up space on 9.71 acres, solidifying Kokapet’s status as the most coveted location for high-rise projects.
The trend for vertical living extends beyond Kokapet, with Bandlaguda Jagir also seeing significant development. Two additional high-rises, one with 30 and another with 47 floors, are currently underway, highlighting the strong demand for multi-storeyed residential and commercial spaces across the Hyderabad metropolitan area.
The HMDA confirms that the multi-storeyed building (MSB) sector is the primary driver behind this remarkable surge in building permissions. From January to September this year, 77 MSB applications were approved, encompassing 78.71 lakh square meters of construction and generating a substantial ₹514 crore in revenue. This represents a significant leap from 2023, when 55 applications were sanctioned, covering 37.03 lakh square meters and bringing in ₹215 crore.
Number of building permissions sanctioned by HMDA
| Year | Number of applications sanctioned |
| January – September 2025 | 77 |
| 2023 | 55 |
Overall, the HMDA’s total revenue from permit fees has seen an astonishing increase, reaching ₹1,225 crore. This is a staggering 245% increase compared to ₹355 crore in 2024 and an 82% jump from ₹674 crore in 2023. This impressive financial performance is consistent across the year, with monthly revenues consistently surpassing previous records. For instance, September alone saw collections hit ₹132 crore, a massive 263% rise over the same month in 2024.
HMDA’s permit fee collection
| Year | Revenue |
| January – September 2025 | ₹1,225 crore |
| 2024 | ₹355 crore |
| 2023 | ₹674 crore |
Over the past nine months, the HMDA efficiently processed 6,079 applications, demonstrating a 49% increase over 2024 and a 36% increase over 2023. A total of 2,961 building permission applications were submitted, an 18% rise from 2024 and an 8% rise from 2023. The authority also cleared 2,904 cases, marking a 47% and 26% increase compared to 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Metropolitan Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmad lauded this ‘remarkable’ turnaround in urban governance from January to September, attributing the stellar performance to a significantly enhanced monitoring system.
According to an HMDA statement, a robust system is now in place where all pending applications are categorized by their age (over 60 days, 30-60 days, within 30 days, and within a week) and reviewed daily by the Commissioner. Furthermore, a digital tracking system with interactive dashboards allows for immediate identification and resolution of any delays. Thanks to these proactive steps, the number of applications pending for over 30 days has fallen below 2%, with a strong commitment to eradicating such backlogs completely.
In 2025, the HMDA processed 3,677 new applications for multi-storeyed buildings, layouts, and other constructions, approving 2,887 of them – an impressive 79% approval rate. This is a significant improvement compared to the 38% approval rate in 2024 (1,216 out of 3,209 applications) and 58% in 2023 (2,014 out of 3,452 applications).
These figures demonstrate that overall approvals and revenues have more than doubled in just two years. Specifically, layout permissions expanded to cover 2,862 acres, a remarkable 512% increase over 2024. Housing layouts grew by 186% to 38.24 lakh square meters, and general building permissions surged by 239% over 2024 and 87% over 2023, covering 88.15 lakh square meters.