The decision to divide Kancheepuram into a new district of Chengalpet can be a boon for this new district and which is touted to be the new Gurugram of Chennai. Gurgaon became a major satellite city for Delhi and one of the leading financial and industrial hub in Delhi NCR. It boasts of the third highest per capita income and has the crème de la crème of giant MNCs dropping roots in what is dubbed as Millennium City.
As far as Chengalpet is concerned, it has already set its sights to become the next-gen city. There are already proposals for building a new airport in the vicinity on GST Road and the formation of an independent district administrative headquarters is also on the cards. It will also have the city’s third railway terminus at Tambaram which will auger well for Chengalpet.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India or CREDAI, of Chennai Chapter, has opined that economically Chengalpet is quite sound and a certain level of infrastructure is already in place here. The IT corridor off OMR and ECR, a bus terminus at Kelambakkam and the upcoming airport will all play a stellar role in shaping up the gen-next city. Meticulous planning and world-class infrastructure will pave the way for Chengalpet becoming the next Gurugram.
The State Government Narrative
The state government had announced last month that Kancheepuram would be divided into two, which will make way for a new district that will comprise of Pallavaram, Tambaram, Thiruporur, Thirukalukundram and Chengalpet taluks. It will also have a new district administrative set up with a new collectorate, office of superintendent of police, district government hospital and residential quarters of officials, along with a combined court complex. It is interesting to note that five decades ago, Chengalpet was the headquarters of the combined Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.
As the district will have its own administrative base and collectorate, Chengalpet will also generate fresh scope for employment and industrial activity in the area will also increase. There will also be a growth of educational opportunities with new schools and colleges being built. With such grand developments coming up, the new city will draw a sizeable influx of population into the area that will also fuel the rise of real estate activities in the region. For the record, more than 9000 units have already been launched in the region in Pallavaram,
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Tambaram, Kundrathur and Kelambakkam in recent times, along with Chengalpet after 2013. There were a maximum of 4000 launched in Kelambakkam and it was followed by Tambaram with 2400 units and in Pallavaram with 2100 units. The region also benefits from its connectivity to the IT corridors of OMR, Mahindra World City, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam and others. The working population commutes daily with the help of local trains from Tambaram railway station to Chennai Beach and Chengalpet.
What Experts Feel
According to industry experts, the real estate development here would be centric to Chengalpet and the prices of land in and around Chengalpet would also begin to appreciate. The area itself would become more active as the people would start flocking to district headquarters and the rise in commercial activities here would also inflate land prices.
The new district would be most likely formed in January 2020 and it will be located in the southern regions of Chennai. The Kancheepuram district administration has already speeded up the process. The views of the general public have also been taken into account on 20th August and a decision was reached after the public hearing and it was sent to the commissioner of the revenue department. The process has sped up and everything should be in place by January 2020.
Although the new district will have an independent administration set up, locals had expressed concerns that there was no corporation body in place to address the civic problems of the region. A process was started over a decade ago to merge the local bodies in and around Pallavaram and Tambaram for the creation of a municipal corporation which would have been headquartered at Tambaram. However, it was not completed as the AIADMK came to power in 2011.
The convener of Chitalpakkam Residents Welfare Association Co- Ordination Committee had opined that there was an absence of underground drainage systems in much of the region adjacent to Pallavaram and it was a major issue that had to be quickly looked into if the southern suburbs were to be developed. Hence, a municipal corporation would have to be set up as quickly as possible for a comprehensive and integrated scheme so that better residential areas could be come up with.
The residents in the area are also happy with the development as they know a slew of developmental activities are most likely to take place in the region. Some have already started asking around for land and the region is gearing up for a massive change.
