Authority works — HMDA
HMDA GPR Survey for Regional Roads, Layouts and Trunk Lines
Corridor and layout surveys for projects in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region, which reaches out towards the Regional Ring Road.
Quick AnswerAn HMDA GPR survey finds the underground utilities crossing land in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region before a road, layout or drain is built. Trunk water mains, gas pipelines, HT cables and fibre are the main targets. HMDA's area grew to about 10,472 sq km in 2025, mostly fringe land with thin records. We scan with ground penetrating radar (GPR), trace and draw; see underground pipeline detection.
What is HMDA, and why does it matter for a survey?
HMDA, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, plans the region beyond the city, and an HMDA utility survey checks what is buried along its roads, layouts and schemes. HMDA was set up under Government Order 570 of 25 August 2008, issued by the then united Andhra Pradesh. It is chiefly a planner and project builder, handling master plans, layout and building approvals, and works such as the Outer Ring Road and radial roads.
Its survey needs differ from a city's. On HMDA land the question is often which trunk mains, pipelines and cables cross a field before a road is built over it.
How large is HMDA's area now?
About 10,472 sq km since March 2025, up from 7,257 sq km. GO Ms No. 68 of 12 March 2025 extended the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region up to the proposed Regional Ring Road with a 2 km buffer. HMDA's own figures now give 1,355 revenue villages in 104 mandals across 11 districts. Some villages near the RRR were placed under the new Future City Development Authority instead.
Inside the Outer Ring Road, the civic work belongs to the three corporations created in February 2026. Core-zone streets are dealt with under getting a GHMC Hyderabad utility survey done right, and Madhapur or Gachibowli roads under what a Cyberabad Municipal Corporation utility survey costs.
Which HMDA projects need an HMDA utility survey?
Anything that cuts, bores or builds across land where services may already run.
| HMDA scheme | Main buried hazard | Our output |
|---|---|---|
| Radial and link roads | Water trunk mains, HT cables, fibre on old village roads | Corridor drawing, crossing schedule |
| ORR service road and interchange works | Cables and ducts along the ring, drainage culverts | Service layout at each junction |
| Layout approvals and land pooling | Field pipelines, farm power lines, borewell pipes | Plot-wide scan and marked plan |
| Lake and drain improvement | Sewer outfalls, inlet pipes, old culverts | Inlet and outfall survey with depths |
| Road underbridges at railway lines | Signal cables, drains near the track | Approach-ramp service check |
Table note: road underbridges near the Kollur interchange were among the projects reported with the 2025 expansion.
What crosses Hyderabad's fringe underground?
Fewer services than in the city, but bigger ones. Krishna and Godavari water reaches Hyderabad through large trunk mains across open land. Gas transmission pipelines, HT cables to substations and long fibre routes follow highways and field edges. A strike on any of these utility lines costs far more than a cut house connection.
Ground penetrating radar is a geophysical method: it pulses radio waves into the ground and reads the reflected signals from pipe walls and soil changes. Steel and ductile iron mains return strong echoes, and an electromagnetic locator traces such metallic pipes from a valve or test post. Plastic lines in new layouts are harder, so doubtful ones are confirmed at a trial pit. For trunk mains, see underground pipeline detection; to weigh the methods, read Underground Utility Detection Methods.
Does the ground change beyond the ORR?
Yes, though granite still sits under most of it. The outer region has more open fields, black soil patches and seasonal tanks. Dry granite country gives the radar a clear view, while damp black soil after the monsoon reduces it sharply. Field work is planned for drier weeks where possible. For city and fringe sites, read about GPR survey in Hyderabad; a worked method is in our utility survey guide for Hyderabad.
How do we handle a corridor tens of kilometres long?
In sections, with control fixed first so each day's work joins the last. Long HMDA corridors cross villages, fields, canals and highways. The route is broken into chainage blocks, and the scan band is set from the road or pipe width plus a margin. Highway, canal and village-road crossings are scanned early because they hold most services, and open stretches follow on wider spacing.
A CAD file and crossing schedule go out per block, so the designer can finalise the first kilometres while the crew works the far end. An alignment change costs only a rescan of the stretch that moved.
What does an HMDA corridor survey cost?
HMDA corridors pay our normal metre rates, and their length often unlocks the bigger discounts.
- Standard scan ₹24/m; L-section with depths ₹32/m
- Minimum ₹1,00,000 for each project
- Whole-order discount: 25% above 100 km, 40% above 500 km, 50% above 1,000 km
- GST extra; mobilisation, where chargeable, shown in the formal quote
Scanning a 40 km radial road at the standard rate costs ₹9,60,000. Across 600 km of layouts and roads, the list figure of ₹1,44,00,000 drops to ₹86,40,000 with the 40% discount. Our engineer resident in Hyderabad starts fringe work straight after the order, and the wait never exceeds one business day.
What control is used on long radial roads and ORR links?
A DGPS network along the full length, so services found far apart still sit on the HMDA design grid. Radial roads from the Outer Ring Road cross farmland and villages with few fixed features, where a depth means little without a coordinate. Our surveyors place DGPS points for HMDA corridors along the route. Gaps near culverts, trunk mains and village edges are filled with a total station survey between stations. Each crossing line is logged with chainage, offset and level for the road designer.
Who surveys HMDA schemes, and who orders the work?
Mezux Touch's own engineers. Our record goes back to 2003 and passes 1.5 lakh km of surveyed route. We own 58 GPR units and 18 drilling rigs, and our systems hold ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certification. Nothing is sub-let. HMDA has placed work orders with us directly, and developers, road builders, utilities and consultants bring us into construction projects in the region. For HMDA utility mapping on a corridor or layout, talk to our team about Hyderabad.
Frequently asked questions
Does HMDA cover the city's internal roads?
Mostly not. Inside the Outer Ring Road the three municipal corporations handle civic roads; HMDA plans the region and runs larger projects.
How far does HMDA's area reach now?
Up to the proposed Regional Ring Road with a 2 km buffer, under GO Ms No. 68 of March 2025, except villages placed under the Future City Development Authority.
Will you travel out to the Regional Ring Road belt?
Yes. Our survey coverage in Hyderabad at a glance shows how far out the crews go.
Can you give ground levels for a new layout too?
Yes. A Mezux topographic survey can run alongside the utility scan, giving one set of utility maps with levels.
Can radar find a farm pipeline with no records?
In most cases. A buried irrigation pipe shows in the GPR data, a metal one can also be traced, and a doubtful plastic one is opened at a trial pit.
Is a layout scan priced differently from a road?
No. A ground penetrating radar survey of a layout or a road is billed on scan-line metres, and the same project floor applies.
Get a written quote for HMDA works
Hyderabad authorities
Written by Saniya Parveen · Technically reviewed by Rahul Rai · Updated 8 November 2026