Bangalore, the silicon valley of the East, is the fastest growing metropolis in India with a population growth rate of more than3.5% per annum. The city originally created to house a population of 200,000 is today home to more than 5.5 million people. The population of the city on current growth rates is expected to cross 8 million by the year 2011. This onrush is led in large measure by the infotech revolution sweeping through the country with Bangalore by far the most preferred destination, given its skilled manpower pool and salubrious climate. This revolution while bringing prosperity to the city has led to breakdown of civil infrastructure including choked and narrow roads unable to cope with growing vehicular traffic, power and water shortages and severe air, water and noise pollution.

There is now a growing realization that if Bangalore has to retain its status as THE DESTINATION for KNOWLEDGE BASED INDUSTRIES, it must disperse the development over a wider area to relieve concentration of activity within the city. The constant traffic jams, growing water scarcity and increasing cost of bringing water to Bangalore from river Cauvery have prompted the state government to promote shifting of economic activity to the south of Bangalore i.e. towards Mysore, where river Cauvery originates.

The PROJECT aims to accelerate the development of area widely perceived as the economic backbone of Karnataka. This Economic Development Corridor proposes to link the Electronic City at Hosur Road ( NH 7 ),with Peenya industrial area at Tumkur Road ( NH 4 ). Electronic City is a housing and corporate Infotech development for world leaders. Peenya Industrial area is home to more than 2,500 industrial establishments that employ a significant portion of Bangalore's workforce. In addition, the corridor will also link the fast growing industrial area at Bidadi on the way to Mysore where some the large MNCs such as Toyota ( with its car & passenger vehicles factory ), General Electric ( GE ), COKE and PEPSI ( Coke is said to be setting up its largest bottling facility of Asia at Bidadi ). Bidadi industrial area is expected to house more than 3000 large and ancillary industries when fully developed. The south side of Bangalore which the PROJECT is going to impact also houses the large trading markets of Bangalore ( and Karnataka ).

The ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR aims to link these three economic centers of Karnataka to each other with a safe and fast transit corridor thus catalyzing the growth of the region. The travel time from Township I on the proposed Bangalore Mysore Expressway to the Vidhan Soudha in downtown Bangalore will be 15 minutes on the grade separated Link road. The travel time to Mysore from Township I will be just 1 hour when the entire stretch of the expressway is complete. The travel time from Township I to the Electronic city at Hosur road should be around 15 minutes, so also would be the travel time from Township I to the Peenya Industrial area. Travel time from Vidhan Soudha to the Electronic City and Peenya will also be approximately 15 minutes compared to 2 hours needed presently.

This development, incorporating the highest, most modern international standards is expected to make Township I the corporate and residential hub of Bangalore.

Besides helping achieve the economic growth of the region, the PROJECT will also help to alleviate the problem of the Commercial traffic travelling on the busy NH 4 and NH 7 ( linking Chennai in the southern region to Mumbai in the western region-two of the five metro cities of India ) without crossing downtown Bangalore while moving from Mumbai to Chennai or vice versa by providing a fast, grade separated bypass. This not only saves the commercial traffic valuable time spent at check points and traffic intersections but also fuel and other operating costs. This will reduce the pollution levels in the city of Bangalore since the through commercial traffic will no longer travel on the city roads.

The PROJECT is anticipated to be harbinger of international class development of working and living habitats, essentials for attracting and retaining talent for the KNOWLEDGE BASED INDUSTRIES by providing employees with congenial environment. The added social benefits for the people of the region would be the environment friendly development as the PROJECT will create green areas out of barren and non cultivable lands.

Besides decongesting Bangalore, the PROJECT aims to reinstate its position as THE DESTINATION FOR KNOWLEDGE BASED INDUSTRIES by providing a clean, healthy working and living environment. The PROJECT would benefit Bangalore and its surroundings in a number of ways:

Creation of world class infrastructure facilities.
Peripheral road to help heavy truck Traffic bypass the city of Bangalore leading to Decongestion of City
Environment friendly project as the level of noise and air pollution will drop significantly.
Reduction in fuel consumption for all users of the toll roads as well as Bangalore citizens due to less congestion on city roads.
Reduction in travel time and accident rate. Approximately 700 people loose their lives in road accidents every year in Bangalore.
Saving maintenance cost on existing city roads for the municipal corporation.
Creation of employment opportunities
Induced Economic Growth in the Regions Due to the Corridor
Arresting of rural to urban migration
Availability of newer markets to farmers for their produce
Better housing, clothing and recreational facilities which will act as counter magnet to urban centers.
Upliftment of educational status of the rural population and incentive to progress
 

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Last modified on 11/10/99