Despite being one of the oldest localities in Chennai, Tambaram is one of the top ten preferred locations to buy a home in Chennai for close to a year now. This demand has led to a consistent appreciation in property prices. Capital values in Tambaram have increased by 15 per cent in the last one year and 22 per cent in the last two years, according to Magicbricks data.
The area has remained popular due to the constant upgrade in infrastructure, which improves the liveability index of the locality. It has also emerged as an important nerve centre of the city in the latest PropIndex report (Apr-Jun 2014).
The biggest turnaround for Tambaram has been due to the continuous upgrade its civic infrastructure has seen. The Tambaram Municipal Corporation has several new initiatives that are not only making the locality better but are even acting as a model for other municipalities to follow.
Talking to Magicbricks, the commissioner of Tambaram municipality, N Ravichandran discussed various plans they have commissioned or are underway. “In order to make the locality clean, an Underground Sewage (UGS) programme is being implemented throughout the locality. Wherever sewage construction is happening, concrete roads are being laid above it in an attempt to solve the water logging problems of the area,” says Ravichandran.
A pilot solid waste management programme known as BINS has also been initiated in five places. “We have plans to install these in 157 other places within the locality in the near future,” says the commissioner. “These semi-submersible BINS help solve the garbage problem of the locality. Residents themselves have started segregating the waste and putting them in different bins making our work easier.” To capture their effectiveness and public behaviour, CCTV cameras have also been installed in two places.
‘Namma’ toilets, bio-digesters and community kitchens are other initiatives of the municipality. All three of them are interlinked. To solve the sanitation problem in slum areas, public toilets were installed with a bio-digester below them. The methane gas produced from the human waste is then used to power community kitchens that allow free cooking for over 300 families.
The commissioner adds that all these initiatives have been warmly welcomed by the residents of Tambaram. It has completely changed the face of the locality and has contributed to its growing popularity.
Realty scenario
This civic development along with other factors such as the presence of several educational institutions and IT companies nearby and easy road and rail connectivity to the rest of the city has fuelled residential demand in the locality.
It is very popular among IT professionals, Non Residential Indians (NRI) and High Net worth Individuals (HNIs). While some of them are buying properties as end users, others are buying as a potential investment.
Not only buyers, small and big developers are also focussing on the locality because of the growing demand here. As of now, over 40 new projects at different stages of construction are active in the locality, according to listings on Magicbricks.
Tambaram is situated along the Chennai-Trichy Highway, about 27 km from the centre of the city. It is home to one of the busiest railway terminals of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network.
Source: Times of India Chennai/ Magic Bricks