Tamil Nadu plans Regional Development Plan for state's Krishnagiri district

Chennai: With Hosur and surrounding areas emerging as a major industrial hub, the Tamil Nadu government is mulling a Regional Development Plan for Krishnagiri district to promote industrial development, particularly in services, manufacturing, and export-oriented sectors.

Krishnagiri district, which shares a border with Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru, is currently home to key Apple supplier Tata Electronics, Delta Electronics, and EV majors like Ather, Ola, and TVS Motors. The Tamil Nadu government has been positioning Hosur as the hub for electronics and EV manufacturing, besides planning to build a massive Tech City.

Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has now floated a tender to choose a consultant for preparing a Regional Development Plan for the district. The plan will be prepared for a horizon of 20 years to further foster economic growth in the district by ensuring balanced and sustainable industrial development.

“We have been focusing on Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts for the past several years and the decision to come out with a regional plan is to address the unique needs of the district while optimizing land use, promoting industrial development and improving connectivity,” a senior government official told DH.

The Regional Development Plan will provide clear guidelines for zoning, environmental conservation, resource management, and social infrastructure development to ensure that the growth is “inclusive, sustainable, and equitable.”

The development comes amid the government launching a third state-owned industrial park in Gurubarapalli near Hosur and acquiring land for an exclusive EV park. Besides EV majors, the state is also looking to bring suppliers of the EV firms to Krishnagiri district to create an ecosystem for the emerging sector.

The official said the consultant will identify priority sectors for development, attracting investments, and fostering balanced urban-rural growth, besides developing a professional plan with in-depth research, stakeholder consultations, and modern planning methodologies to achieve a comprehensive and actionable plan for the district.

“We are looking at manufacturing, services and export-oriented units in the region, besides identifying sunrise sectors and sub sectors. The study will also look at issues and prospects of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and large industries in the region,” the official added.

The tender also comes close on the heels of the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to build a greenfield airport in Hosur – the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already surveyed five potential locations – and extend the metro from Bommasandra in Bengaluru to the outskirts of Hosur.

Besides industrial development, the plan will focus on sustainable, compact and smart city development principles, best practices and water availability to minimise the land and water requirements, and best solid waste management (SWM) practices.

K Velmurugan, past president, Hosur Small and Tiny Industries Association (HOSTIA), welcomed the proposal to evolve a Regional Development Plan for Hosur and Krishnagiri and nudged the government to focus more on world-class infrastructure like quality roads, housing, water facilities, and other modes of transport.

“Since Hosur is already an industrial hub, the regional development plan should focus on sectoral development and creation of clusters. We can have exclusive hubs for EVs, electronics, and service sectors and clusters that cater to industries from countries like Japan, and South Korea. The plan should also include recreation facilities,” Velmurugan told DH.

The HOSTIA member also said the government should focus on building the airport with a special focus on freight traffic besides ensuring that the metro services from Bengaluru are extended till Hosur. “Connectivity is the key, and we should have specific plans for various aspects of urban development,” Velmurugan added.

Hosur is home to about 500 big industries and 3,000 MSMEs and now hosts Tata Electronics Private Limited, a key supplier of Cupertino-based Apple Inc and electric vehicle majors like Ola, Ather, Simple Energy, and TVS motor company.

According to data released by the government, Tamil Nadu accounts for over 34 per cent of total planned investments in the EV sector with not just EV firms but battery manufacturers like BYD, GRIN.