Smart Cities in South India
The central government has brought a new hope to the country’s dwindling realty sector. The government’s manifesto had talked about creating 100 new smart cities in the country several times. Within one month of forming the government, the Central government already started mulling ways to create these smart cities.
A city can be considered smart if it satisfies various criteria such as regional competitiveness, transport and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) economics, quality of life, natural resources and citizen participation in city governance. A smart city is defined by innovation and has an ability to solve problems while using ICTs to improve the capacity.
The central government is now focusing on creating smart cities highlighting various strengths such as industrial smart cities, heritage smart cities and knowledge cities among others.
Here are some of the smart city projects in South India that have recently been taken up by the central government and various other international organisations.
Tumkur
Smart city announced in July.
Tumkur can be considered similar to a twin-city to Bangalore, lying just a few kilometers away from Bangalore. The city is separated by Bangalore by Nelamangala. Tumkur is a key manufacturing and an educational hub, with several industries and notable educational institutions filling the area.
In fact, the Kyatsandra-Peenya belt is filled with several industries and industrial warehouses. Kyatsandra once housed the famous HMT watch factory. Some of the major industries in the city include food crops, coconut, cotton, ropes and woolen blankets. Some of the prominent educational institutions include Siddaganga Group of Educational Institutions, Sri Siddhartha Group of Educational Institutions and Sarvodaya Group of Educational Institutions.
The city is very well connected to Bangalore via KSRTC buses and trains. NH-4 and NH-206 pass through the city.
Real estate
Tumkur’s key real estate driver will be the industries located in the city. The city already is an educational hub as well. Tumkur hasn’t witnessed an apartment culture yet. Most of the available properties in Tumkur are residential plots and 2BHK independent houses. Typical plot areas range between 1,200-1,500 sq. ft. The typical value of a plot is in the range of Rs 10-50 lakh, depending on the area. The price of a 2BHK house may start from about Rs 30 lakh.
Important areas: Shetty Halli, Heggere, Tumkur-Sira Road, Sadhashivnagar, Sirbypass Road
Electronic City
Announced in October.
Electronic city is one of the prominent IT areas in Bangalore. Originally created as a hub for IT companies in the city, the area has expanded at an accelerated pace to include several residential areas as well as commercial hubs. The area is currently the largest hub in the country for IT and electronic industrial parks. The area currently spans from Konappana Agrahara up to almost Hebbagodi on Hosur road. The second phase of electronic city is already being developed as a residential area.
One may find most of the big names in the IT industry having their facilities in Electronic City. Some of the big names include Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, BHEL, TCS, Biocon, HCL, HP, Siemens and Yokogawa. Areas around Electronic City already have a great number of educational institutions, healthcare services, retail chains and shopping malls.
Real estate
Electronic City has a good mix of several villa and apartment projects. There are also several gated communities and villa plots available in the surrounding areas. Typical housing configurations in and around the area include 2 and 3BHK apartments as well as a few 4BHK apartments. Typical villa and independent house configurations include 3 and 4BHK units with a few 2BHK houses. The average property values in the area are in the range of Rs 2,700-5,900 per sq. ft.
Vishakapatnam
Announced in September 2014
Vishakapatnam (Vizag) is an important city in the newly formed state of Andhra Pradesh. Vizag is a well-developed coastal city with good civic and social infrastructure. It was also one of the prime contendors for becoming the capital of the state and an important commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh. The city is known for a steel plant, heavy industries, and being the largest seaport and oldest shipyard of the country. It has the HQ of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
Some other important economic drivers are fishing, pharma, IT, exports and imports, and sea trade. Some of the important port activities include exports of sea food, petroleum, fertiliser, steel, iron ore and other minerals. There are several SEZs and industrial corridors in the city.
The city has a good connectivity via road, rail and airways. The city is connected by NH-5, part of the Golden Quadrilateral. There are also several other important roads in the city. There are several APSRTC buses to other important cities. There are two BRTS routes in the city. There has been a metro planned for the city. The city’s airport is the busiest airport in Andhra Pradesh.
Vizag is also considered an important education hub in the state.
Real estate
One may find several builders in the area. There are several apartments in the city. Typical configurations include 2 and 3BHK apartments with average property values in the range of Rs 2,300-3,250 per sq. ft. There are also several independent houses and villas available in the city. The typical property values are in the range of Rs 2,300-6,000 per sq. ft. One may also find a number of residential plots in the city.
Important areas: Madhurawada, Gopalapatnam, Vizianagaram, Kothavalasa, Bhogapuram Mandal, Gajuwaka, Srikakulam, Anandapuram
Krishnapatnam
Announced in July
Krishnapatnam is another port city in Andhra Pradesh was another port town that was announced for the smart city project. The town is in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and is one of the biggest ports in Eastern India. Krishnapatnam is one of the few ports in the world that can handle cargo with about 1,50,000 tonnes of load. It is also one of the deepest ports in the country.
The town is connected to NH-5 via a state highway. It lies on the Chennai-Howrah broad gauge. There have been six helipads built in its approximity in recent times. The port has an easy access to the Chennai and Tirupati airports. Among several other planned projects to increase its connectivity, a pipeline corridor to connect the port to the nearest 7 oil refineries is an important one. There is also a dedicated belt conveyor corridor for transporting coal to the nearest 10 mega thermal power stations. Krishnapatnam has a 4,000MW ultra mega power plant (UMPP) being constructed by Reliance Power Ltd. This power plant is a part of the Power Finance Corporation’s plan to provide “power for all by 2012”.
Real estate
Krishnapatnam, as a town needs to witness a visible real estate activity yet. However, there are several areas in Nellore district that are in proximity to Krishnapatnam. There are a small number of apartments in around the area. Common configurations are 2 and 3BHK apartments with average property values of about Rs 2,200-3,200 per sq. ft. There are also several independent houses with approximate values of about Rs 2,250-5,600 per sq. ft. One may find a good number of residential plots in Nellore.
Important areas: Vedayapalem, Podalakur Road, Gudur Taluk
Kochi
Announced in October, 2014
The Kochi metro, which is expected to be operational by 2016 is a key driver for real estate growth. The metro will significantly reduce travel time between Aluva and several key micro markets in the city. The work for the first phase of the project is already underway. Other projects such as the ICTT near Port Kochi and integrated transit terminal of Vyttila Mobility Hub are also major drivers for Kochi’s realty.
Presence of several industries and the growing IT sector have already improved realty prospects here. With a growth in connectivity and booming industrial sector, the city’s realty sector is expected to grow fast. Phase-I of the first IT building in Smart City Kochi (SCK) will be inaugurated in June this year.
The first phase is expected to generate about 5,500 jobs. The building is designed as a “lifestyle at work” project with several amenities such as terrace gardening, food court, social spaces, large plazas, banks and ATMs, and supporting amenities. There are also provisions for installing solar panels on the rooftop. Supporting infrastructure including roads, bridges, power systems and sub-stations, water storage and distribution and pipe trenches are being constructed at a fast pace.
Real estate
Kochi has a good supply of various housing types such as apartments, villas and independent houses. The most common apartment types are 2 and 3BHK apartments. There a number of 2, 3, 4 and 5BHK independent houses and villas available as well. One may also a find a good number of residential plots in the city. Property values in the city are in the range of Rs 3,500-5,000 per sq. ft. Some of the noted developers in the city are Hoysala Projects Pvt Ltd, Greentech Builders, Yeskay Builders, and Oxoniya Builders and Developers.
Important areas: Aluva, Kadavanthra, Kakkanad, Kaloor
Vijayawada
Announced in September 2014
With the separation of Telangana from the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP), Vijayawada is all set to become the new capital of AP. This will lead to a good growth in the city’s real estate sector. Vijayawada is centrally located in the new state and is well connected to other cities in the state. The Vijayawada-Guntur belt is accessible from NH-5 and NH-9. The city also has a smooth railway connectivity to other cities.
The city is famous for its automobile industry and has the potential to emerge as a trading and manufacturing hub in the region. There is an IT park spanning across 32 acres opposite to Gannavaram Airport in the pipeline. There are also plans to construct a software park in the city. Some of the additional planned infrastructure projects include a high speed corridor between the city and Hyderabad. The NH-5 stretch between Vijayawada and Guntur is being widened. The city has a good social infrastructure, which is further being developed.
Real estate
Vijayawada has a good distribution of apartments and independent houses. There are also several villa plots available in the city. The most common configuration of apartments in the city are 2 and 3BHK units, while the most common configurations of independent houses are 2, 3 and 4BHK units. There are also a few 6 and 8BHK houses available in the city. The average property values in the city are in the range of Rs 8,700-30,200 per sq. ft. Some of the prominent developers in the city are Keystones Infra Con India, Ramakrishna Housing, Sri Chakra Estates and Dhruva Realtors.
Important areas: Benz Circle, Kankipadu, Mangalagiri
