Hyderabad most liveable in India; 3 South Indian cities ranked safest

Hyderabad: Hyderabad has emerged as the best city in terms of quality of living in India for the second year in a row, according to the Quality of Living 2016 index compiled by global consulting major Mercer. National capital Delhi moved down six places to 161st rank, the lowest among the seven Indian cities in the list.

The safest Indian cities are Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, ranked 113, 121 and 123 respectively. These cities have emerged as cities of choice due to factors such as relatively lower crime rate, lesser air pollution and improved options for international and reputed English speaking schools. Hyderabad and Pune rank higher than country’s more traditional business centres for their quality of living.

Mercer notes that “considerable population increases in Mumbai and New Delhi in recent decades have increased existing problems, including access to clean water, air pollution, and traffic congestion”.

Interestingly, the survey suggests that Indian cities are safer than most others in South Asia. While the ranking of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo at 132 is six places above Hyderabad, Dhaka in Bangladesh is ranked 216 and Pakistan’s Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi are ranked 193, 199 and 202 respectively.

Vienna is number one for the seventh time in a row. Baghdad, victim to waves of sectarian violence since the American-led invasion of 2003, is not new to the last spot either.

Among Asian cities, Singapore tops the list at number 26, followed by four Japanese cities led by capital Tokyo. Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is at number 84.

Luxembourg tops the personal safety list and is followed by Bern, Helsinki, and Zurich — all tied in second place.