The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has already commenced the leveling work and formation of the IT SEZ park at Hosur in 190 acres the largest in Tamilnadu. And GMR Infrastructure is planning to setup a 2600 acres of IT AND ITES and MULTIPRODUCT SEZ one of the largest in South India. The Govt. is likely to stop the TAX holiday after 2009 in India. Therefore, It will attract all the IT cos., from all over india to set up their new projects inside this Hosur SEZ, as they will get another 10 years of TAX holiday benefit. Already about 30,000 people working in Electronic city are located in Hosur. They travel daily by Pool Vehicles, Staff bus from Wipro and Mini cabs from IT co's. Hosur, he says, has been chosen as it can dovetail the strengths of Bangalore's deep talent pool and salubrious climate with Tamil Nadu's infrastructural forte and relatively inexpensive real-estate rates. Making Hosur an IT hub, however, will be a tough task. In 2003-04, when Tamil Nadu exported Rs 7,643 crore (Rs 76.43 billion) worth of software, Hosur's contribution was zilch. Tamil Nadu is keen on changing this. "We will consider building a 250,000 sq ft facility, on the lines of TIDEL Park in Chennai, at a cost of between Rs 35 crore (Rs 350 million) and Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million). This initiative, has created a light-house effect and boost investor confidence," Harinarain says. He says the Tamil Nadu government is likely to use a private-public partnership to upgrade Hosur's present infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and shopping malls, to build Hosur into a viable satellite town. The state government will provide all supporting infrastructural requirements such as land, sewerage, electricity and water. "With a TIDEL-type park, Lots of residential complexes will be thrown in between Hosur and Bangalore. Travel time is faster outside Bangalore to Hosur rather than within the city," says K Pandia Rajan, managing director, Ma Foi Management Consultants Limited, the recruitment agency. It is not as if Hosur doesn't have anything other than its proximity to Bangalore going for it. It has been an industrial hub for more than two decades now and home to the manufacturing plants of Ashok Leyland, Titan Industries, TTK Prestige, Reckitt Benckiser, Hindustan Lever, Carborandum Universal and TVS Motors. So, the basic infrastructure is firmly in place. "Hosur's potential to become a prime outlying suburb of Bangalore, on the lines of Noida and Gurgaon for Delhi and Navi Mumbai for Mumbai, has been largely under utilised. IT majors such Infosys and Wipro are just a stone's throw away in Electronics City which is midway between Bangalore and Hosur. These companies would be wary of setting up operations in Hosur as they are already battling the Karnataka government over the lack of proper roads to Electronic City from Bangalore. If anything can stop Hosur's advances to becoming a IT super city. "Work on the Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion), six-lane expressway has begun in june 2007 with a deadline of 18 months to complete the project from electronic city to Hosur. However, real estate prices are 25-30 per cent lower in Hosur than in the areas of Bangalore closest to Hosur. What do the software companies think of Hosur? "We are not considering Bangalore or Hosur as of now. But assuming that we were, the primary concerns would be travel time, overheads and the cost of attracting talent," says Arun Jain, chairman and CEO, Polaris Software Lab.
 

A Reality Scenario of Hosur -  An article by A.Lakshmanan, Maruthi Housing, Hosur.

Present Scenario,

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 Hosur, also known as Little England, for its climatic conditions, has a history of more than 825 Years.

 Hosur is at the height of about 900 meters above the sea level. The average temperature during summer: 25° to 30° C and during Winter: 13° to 25° C.

 Languages spoken is Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu.

 The first Governor General of independent India, the Great Rajaji was born in Hosur city

 Hosur was first developed by Tamil Nadu government’s Nodal Agency SIPCOT in 1983 has been a catalyst in the development of medium and large scale industries in Hosur. Sipcot has helped faster industrial development  in  backward and underdeveloped areas and  ensures  that dispersal of financial incentives spurt in growth in backward and hitherto under developed areas.

 About 2500 acres and Almost all Industrial Giants like Ashok Leyland, Hindusthan Motors, Lakshmi Mills, TVS, Carborandum, TITAN and 750 Large Industries , 90 small industries, 650 tiny  ancillary industries are already here in place and made this small town into a Big Industrial Town of Tamil nadu.

 The Friendly Government, plenty of talented work force and cheap labour all over from tamilnadu, Low land rates, salubrious climate when compared to Bangalore, good Rail, NH7 Road connectivity (on the Golden Quadrilateral) to Ports,  Airports of Bangalore and Chennai   made these projects a Mega Success.

 About 23 Educational institutions like CBSE schools in large campus of ZEE, Sishya , TITAN, TVS, Ashok Leyland, Mahirishi Vidya Mandir,  St.Joseph, Seventh day Adventist, Veda Vidyalaya, Velankanni  and many more are having enough infrastructure to serve the future projects.

 Colleges – Adhiyaman Engineering, MBA, Para Medical, Arts and Science in an area of 500 Acres, PMC tech in 150 acres, St.Joseph Womens College, Govt. ITI’s are creating more and more technical, administrative talent peoples to the industries.

 Residential – The TamilNadu Housing Board has already developed and sold out about 1000 acres of Residential projects - one of the biggest Housing project of Tamilnadu.

  Health Facilities – Sparsh Trauma care and ESI Hospital, Narayana Hirudalaya at Hosur and Chandapura – 15 km from Hosur. Agarwal eye hospital and  15 private hospitals, 2 charity and 1 govt hospital.

 To change Hosur now into a True Megopolis -  Now No body can Stop this happening.

 What is on the Cards

 All these days it was only the spill over of Bangalore was occupying the Reality market in Hosur. But in the present scenario, Industrial Giants and MNC’s like GMR, Kansai Nerolac,  Mega Project Developers from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, NRI’s are flooding the market to buy several 1000 of acres of land.

 The Friendly and Industrial policy of TamilNadu government to make Hosur under the “Highway of Excellence” a Central govt. approved project from Bangalore to Chennai Highway, the incentives, tax holidays , the Single window approach of the District Administrative Collector Mr.Santhosh Babu  and the still cheaper land rates below Rs.50 per sq.ft for large acres has attracted the new projects like,

 About 4 times bigger than the present projects  

 SIPCOT   5000 acres of III phase of Sipcot in Attagurukki Behind Kamandoddi NH7

ELCOT      190 acres of IT SEZ in Viswanathapuram,

TIDCO’s J.V partner GMR Infrastructure  Multiproduct IT ITES SEZ in 3000 ACRES spread over in Shoolagiri/Bairamangalam

TANFLORA 150 + 300 acres of Flori Culture – Asias biggest supplier of Roses and Cut flowers,

Best And Crompton  300 acres of Textile SEZ at Uddanapalli

A BIOTEC SEZ at Denkanikotta,

The NHAI has approved to continue the six lane from Bangalore border Athipalli to Chennai via Hosur under the Golden Quadrilateral Roads with 5 flyovers in Hosur alone to ease the traffic and the Tamil Nadu government is planning a Air strip near Shoolagiri, if not atleast if TAAL could achieve a mini airport at Thally near Hosur.

  The Railways planning a Goods transit point inside SEZ of Bairamangalam, AUTO hub for Distribution. Telco, TATA, Bajaj, Mahindra, Leyland are having Yards for Distribution to South.

 A Inner ring road connecting the south of Hosur with NH7 which is under construction..

 The Japan aided Mega Hogenakkal Drinking Water Project to supply water to Hosur – Dharmapuri Krishnagiri Dist., in two years.

 To Plant More trees at the Hosur Cattle farm (Stud Farm) commissioned by Tiipu Sultan and later by the British in about 1000 acres and now there are plans to upgrade into a Botanical Garden in the lines of Lal Bagh in Bangalore- to retain and improve the present weather and climate and develop into a Polo and Golf Course.

 What is required.

 More Infra structure like wide  Inner ring road for the north side of Hosur, Outer ring roads connecting all state highways around Hosur and few more fly overs.

 To improve the present lakes – about 100’s of lakes around hosur are in place for good rain water harvesting. Provide Under Ground sewerage to all areas,  Sulab Public toilets, Well planned Water supply, Garbage Dumps, Public Parks, More Shopping malls.

 Medical facilities – To improve  the ESI hospital, Build more Multi speciality hospital and Full fledged Trauma care centre.

 To Commence one more Bus station for the Mofussil buses.

 To Prepare New Hosur Town Master Plan  and organize the present developments.

 Will it be a wise investment.

 Yes, of course. The Techies and the NRI’s are already flooding to buy one through their relatives and friends and invested in many Residential plots and Villas in Hosur.

 Vakil’s Hosur Hills – A Villa project was a great success and more new entrants to hosur are from Bangalore – Vakil, Upkar, Aswani, Nigama, Little England, Swarna bhoomi from Coimbatore,  NCL homes from Hyderabad.

 Apart from this Local Players who are settled in Hosur from 1990’s: Maruthi Housing – Green Fields Villas in 40 acres,  in the year 2000: Thirupathi Construction – Individual houses and apartments,  In 1983 : VGP Layouts, in 1995: Titan Township Villas are also playing a vital role in developing Hosur  and giving a tough competition to the new comers in property prices.

 As the Rental is still cheap Rs.5 per sq.ft., and Culture is Intact, many techies who are from the deep south prefer hosur as the Safest Haven for their lively hood and commute daily to Bangalore Electronic City which is just a few minutes drive.

 Also many South Indians especially NRI’s ,  Retired Officials who worked in other parts of  India who wants to move back to their home town, High level Administrative  Managers and Engineers of the Industries in Hosur prefer their retirement plans and stay in Hosur – a cosmopolitan Town for its close proximity and similar and Better weather to Bangalore and easy access to Chennai.