Bangalore was once a ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’ where the middle-aged and the elderly led quiet lives in its beautiful neighbourhoods. There was the city centre, and then there were clusters of villages around formed the suburbs.
The rise of Sarjapur
Sarjapur is one such suburb which was a bustling, but pretty, village known for its cloth and raw silk trade in the 19th century. After a point, trade winded down, and Sarjapur became just one of the outlying suburbs of Bangalore.
During the 1990s, the tech sector in Bangalore was taking baby steps onto the global stage, and Sarjapur came into focus for the availability of vast swathes of land to build corporate offices. At the turn of the millennium, Sarjapur wore a completely different look as the landscape began to be dotted with tall, sleek, shiny buildings housing many global IT organisations.
The construction of the Outer Ring Road made Sarjapur a highly viable location. Inevitably, real estate developers jumped into the fray and began developing budget properties suited for young IT professionals flocking to the city. But it soon expanded to include everything from affordable apartments to luxury villas.
Sarjapur today
Today, Sarjapur is a busy micro-town and has also grown into one of the biggest IT hubs of Bangalore. It was well connected by road during its trading heydeys, and it remains so till today.
Easily accessible from IT clusters like Madiwala, Hosur Road, Koramangala, Electronic City, Silk Board, and to the Airport, Sarjapur has become a highly preferred location for IT professionals coming to the city from all over India. Walking along Sarjapur Road, you can hear at least five different languages in a matter of minutes, proof of its diverse population. Due to its extremely accessible location, property rates on Sarjapur Road have appreciated at an average rate of 4% to 5% every year for the past few years.
In 2016, the average property rate ranged between Rs 4,500 and 6,300 per sq ft. Social infrastructure has also developed at a rapid pace.
Reputed schools, accessibility to premier colleges, and proximity to work have all contributed to Sarjapur’s rise.
The pros and cons of urbanisation in Sarjapur
But it’s not all hunky dory. The increase in popularity, as well as easy accessibility, means an increase in traffic. The traffic snarls on Sarjapur are now legendary, and water woes are mounting. Sarjapur residents are now at the mercy of water tankers, like a lot of neighbourhoods of Bangalore, at unheard of prices. With Bangalore’s water table reaching abysmally low levels, it is now up to the residents to devise new methods of reusing water and, of course, in seriously thinking about investing in rain harvesting systems. Another worry is that of garbage disposal and drainage connections. Additionally, there is a serious shortage of green lung space, which is now restricted to the small lawns and playgrounds of gated communities and apartments. Public transport is limited, leading to increasing dependency on private cars adding to the already existing traffic woes.
Sarjapur Road is now held up as a classic example of rapid urbanisation in Bangalore, of how neighbourhoods evolve, of the problems and incentives associated with the evolution and the various aspects that shape its development.
India’s Silicon Valley’s economic fortunes and social successes are undeniably and inextricably linked to its IT industry, and Sarjapur forms the very heart of it.
