Ten years ago, it was a dream. Today, it’s an absolute necessity – developing Bidadi as the next hub for knowledge-based industry. The state government’s bid to revive the plan for a 10,000-acre Knowledge Park in this town on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, along with a plan to build six-lane ring roads connecting the city and satellite towns around it, will not only help de-congest a saturated Bengaluru, it will also be a boon for both the technology industry and job-seekers in the Mysuru belt. The upcoming Global Investors’ Meet could well be the right time to showcase the projects, but speedy implementation is key.
When Bidadi Knowledge Park was awarded to DLF in 2007, the buzz was that Bengaluru would have its own Gurgaon in the backyard. Thanks to the delay in land acquisition and rolling out of government policies, the project derailed. At that time it was seen as ambitious and an alternative to the Whitefield, Bannerghatta Roads and Sarjapura Roads, where all the IT majors have nestled. Today, it is inevitable to create an iconic park which is based on a walk-to-work concept to keep the investors back at home.
Recently, Bengaluru development minister K.J. George announced that the Bidadi Knowledge Park project will be taken up, rekindling the hope for a mega knowledge city in Bidadi. Sources in industry say that the real estate in the IT belts has reached the saturation level. “Whitefield, EPIP, Electronics City, Sarjapura Road, Marathahalli, Bannerghatta Road saw an office space boom in early 2000.
Today, these IT belts are crowded and running full. What adversely affected these IT segments was the traffic flow. Even while global companies like Accenture, Cognizant, Honeywell, among other players started operations, the state government utterly failed to foresee the infrastructure requirement. Wherever you see IT parks in Bengaluru these companies are synonymous with massive traffic issues. It is inevitable to create satellite towns or integrated parks away from the hustle-bustle with walk-to-work concepts,” says Sreenivasa Murthy, a lead consultant with a major real estate firm.
Bidadi draws emphasis to itself and the project has been thrown in at the right time as Karnataka is all set to host GIM 2016. It will definitely boost investor confidence, if the state clears land acquisition hurdles, which was the main
impediment earlier. “Turning the land losers into partners, giving job opportunities at mid-management level, tax sops and holidays for investors and reducing the long and tiring bureaucratic hurdles would make way for such projects. What works for Bidadi is the fact that it is right on the periphery of Bengaluru and is
connected with what will soon be a national highway. It is also strategically located near a human resource catchment like Mysuru, which produces thousands of engineering graduates every year.
Bidadi Knowledge Park
The project, envisaged around Byramangala, a good 5 km from Bidadi, can be ideal as the real estate value here is not highly priced, unlike Devanahalli or Anekal. Added to this, the advantage of putting up a green field project will definitely be a boon to Ramanagaram district,” said an official from the Industries Department.
‘STRR good idea, but let’s get second airport on track’
The Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) is the next big ticket project which will ease congestion in Bengaluru and throw up new investment options for corporate firms shying away from Bengaluru due to traffic congestion. The long-delayed STRR project will connect Bengaluru’s satellite towns – Ramnagar, Magadi, Solur, Nelamangala, Hoskote and Anekal – through six-lane roads. These roads, in turn, will be connected to Bengaluru through state or national highways, easing the city’s congestion and further reducing the to-and-fro time taken to reach or get out of the city.
While the project will be a boon for commuters, it will also help industries and housing sectors around Bengaluru grow, observed Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy. He said, “With smaller scale projects like NICE Road, we have seen some magical transformations in the city. For instance, it takes around 30 minutes to go to Tumkuru Road from Electronics City. When a mega project like STRR is implemented, the traffic burden in peripheral areas like Jigani, Attibele, Kengeri and other parts will drastically reduce. Along with this, there will be more focus on expansion of industries.”
He highlighted that the STRR will also open more windows for the real estate sector, as the city is already saturated. “Surveys have pointed out that peripheral areas are exponentially growing. Since Bengaluru South is now expanding beyond Kengeri and upward till Big Banyan Tree road, the proposal for STRR and Knowledge Park will make way for gated communities and townships. Both the projects are money spinners for the state government,” he said.
Urban planning expert Ashwin Mahesh suggested that while Knowledge Park and STRR is a good idea for the city’s growth, the state government should also consider opening its second airport in Bidadi.
“With the STRR’s implementation, most of the vehicles will by-pass city traffic, which is welcome. But building more roads will not decongest any city in any part of the world. The need-of-the hour is better public transport. The government needs to construct an integrated airport which will have air, bus and rail facilities on the same premises. There has to be regional bus connectivity, terminal and commuter rail service attached to the airport.
“As BMIC Township may soon become a reality, a second airport will be a boon for investors and commuters,” he said. Emphasising Bidadi’s proximity to Mysuru and Hassan, Mahesh said that having a second airport in Bidadi will also help industrialists and investors in these regions.
