CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will have to invest 22,965 million USD in developing Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) which will span across seven districts in the State covering nearly 30,000 sq km, according to a master plan prepared by an aid agency called the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA).
The work on developing the industrial corridor, which will be spread across three states, including Andhra Pradesh, is in the planning stage and the agency has prepared the master plan on an Union government request.
More than the prospect of industrial development, the report has cautioned that the corridor would lead to phenomenal growth of population and along with it huge demand for civic and domestic facilities. The most important factor highlighted in the report was drinking water.
The corridor was envisaged to have industries ranging from information technology, textiles and leather in the districts between Chennai and Bengaluru. It has identified specific industries for specific districts.
While being optimistic of the prospective growth of industries in the corridor, by generating between four to 22 million employments in manufacturing sector ver the next 20 years, it has also highlighted that the population increase would also put stress on the civic demands like water. As per the report, the domestic water demand of the CBIC is projected to increase with the future population growth. The demand for water in 2018 is estimated to be 119 per cent more than that of 2013, the demand in 2023 is estimated to be 133 per cent more than that of 2013 and the demand in 2033 is estimated to be 160 per cent more than that in 2013.
The study has estimated the population density of seven districts to increase 32 per cent by 2033, the estimated completion time for the developing the corridor. These seven districts are expected to have 42 per cent of the population in the corridor.
Besides Chennai (175 sqkm), the other districts the get covered in the corridor are Tiruvallur (3,394 sq.km), Kancheepuram (4,483 sq.km), Tiruvannamalai (6,188 sq.km), Vellore (6,075 sq.km), Dharmapuri (4,497 sq.km) and Krishnagiri (5,129 sq.km).