Hyderabad’s skyline is transforming at an unprecedented pace but urban planners and citizens alike are raising alarms about the long-term impact of its unchecked vertical expansion. Unlike other major cities in India, Hyderabad does not impose a floor space index (FSI) limit, allowing builders to construct high-rises without restriction. While this has led to rapid urbanisation and a booming real-estate sector, experts warn that the absence of regulatory control could severely strain the city’s infrastructure in coming years.

In 2006, the YS Rajasekhar Reddy-led Congress government removed FSI limits to accelerate urban development. Nearly two decades later, the policy has transformed Hyderabad into a builder’s paradise, where real-estate projects are shaped more by profit potential than by urban planning considerations...