How Will The Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway Affect The Real Estate in The Vicinity?

The Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway is a part of a bigger project- The Bengaluru-Chennai Industrial Corridor. The development of this corridor is not just expected to spur industrial growth between Bengaluru and Chennai. But also between South India and East Asia by enabling quicker movement of goods from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the Chennai and Ennore ports.

The current distance between Bengaluru and Chennai is around 326 kilometers. This distance will be reduced to around 262 kilometers with the introduction of the new Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway. This stretch will run from Hoskote in Bengaluru till Sriperumbudur, outside Chennai. It will reduce the distance by around 50 kilometers and is intended for vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 120 km/hr.

Industrial hubs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu to be connected

This first Greenfield Expressway in South India is being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India. Initially, it was envisioned to be a 8-lane corridor, which was later reduced to 6 and then to 4 subsequently, to cut down on the cost. The expressway will pass through important industrial hubs like Hoskote and Bangarpet in Karnataka, Palamaner and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Proposal to extend the project till Kochi

The expressway, part of the Bengaluru-Chennai Industrial Corridor is one of the 5 industrial corridors being developed by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust. The Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway and the Bengaluru-Chennai Dedicated Freight Corridor are the two two major infrastructure backings for this project. There is a proposal to extend the project till Kochi as well. Work on the project is expected to commence within a couple of months. The expressway will run across 72 kms in Karnataka, 85 kms in Andhra Pradesh and 106 kms in Tamil Nadu. The project costing around Rs. 17,000 crores, is expected to be completed within two-and-a-half years.

Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway to create more employment opportunities

The automobile hub of Karnataka consists of regions like Hoskote and Narasapura Industrial Area. When this stretch is connected with the Tumkur Road via KR Puram, it creates a continuum of Logistics, industrial and automobile hub, passing through Andhra Pradesh and extending till Chennai.

What do the local residents say?

Venugopal, a resident of Hoskote says, any project initiated by the government is for our benefit. This project too will no doubt benefit Hoskote. Employment opportunities and property values will increase with the establishment of the industrial corridor. However, the major disadvantage is that the local residents will not receive compensation for their land on time. If they acquire our land today, consensus will be arrived at only after 10-15 years!

Patel Sonne Gowda, a farmer from Hoskote says, the environment will be exploited in the name of development. Water bodies and rajakaluves will be destroyed. Localites, especially the farmers will face a lot of difficulty due to this. For example, the government will barricade these roads. And there are many villages on either side of the road. They give a deviation at 5-6 kilometers for the nearby villages. And a person must travel 5-6 kms for simple things like distributing milk and buying vegetables. Nobody will come forward to buy our lands once the barricades are erected. Not just that, our connecting roads will be blocked and a toll will be collected from us for the same. How fair is this?

Conclusion

The expressway will reduce commuting time between Bengaluru and Chennai. It will also create more employment opportunities and give an impetus to the already existing and to be developed industrial hubs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, timely execution of the project and taking the local residents into confidence is the key here.