Smart Cities in South India

The central government has brought

a new hope to the countrys
dwindling
realty
sector.
The
governments 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. NH4 and NH-206 pass through the city.
Real estate
Tumkurs key real estate driver will be the industries located in the city. The
city already is an educational hub as well. Tumkur hasnt 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,

Sadhashivnagar, Sirbypass Road

Heggere,

Tumkur-Sira

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 citys 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 ChennaiHowrah 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 Corporations 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 Kochis 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 citys realty sector is expected to grow fast.
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 3,5005,000 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 citys real estate sector. Vijayawada is centrally located in the
new state and is well connected to other cities in the state. The VijayawadaGuntur 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

Source: CommonFloor.com
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