After a slump during last fiscal when real estate purchases fell 23.54%, property registration in Tamil Nadu appears to be clawing back with a 11% growth in registrations in April-May 2013.

The government of Tamil Nadu raised guideline values sharply — the base price at which a property is registered– effective April 1, 2012. This coupled with high lending rates impacted new home buys. With no signs of a rollback on guideline rates and mortgage rates showing signs of easing, property registrations appear to pick up. New property registrations were homogenous and spread across the state, data from the state’s registration department showed. Registrations in April-May stood at 4.47 lakh as against 4.03 lakh a year ago, a rise of 10.87%.

Among the regions which witnessed strong growth includes, Kancheepuram, Chengalapet, Kumbakonam, Nagapattinam, Pattukottai, Myladuthurai, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri.

“There was a definitive slowdown. Besides, February and March are months where companies race to achieve their sales targets which could have compromised on prices. But we are witnessing a definitive improvement in both sentiment and sales.

Chennai lead with 18.9% growth in property deals. Southern sub-urban areas like Medavakkam, Pallikaranai, Neelankarai, Guduvancherry, Tambaram and Tiruporur witnessed strong growth. The other hot-spots were Siruthavur, Panaiyur and Kelambakkam off Vandalur and East Coast Road, data showed. Thanjavur and Salem recorded 17.24% and 14% growth respectively in property deals. The registration of documents hovered around 27 lakh to 35 lakh till 2008, and fell to 26 lakh last year.

“The past two months have been fairly good in terms of new sales. We tend to believe that the downward bias has been halted.”

Sales in drought hit delta districts were brisk. The agricultural lands in delta districts were lapped up as hot cakes. Thanjavur region, comprising of Nagapattinam, Pattukkottai, Myladuthurai, Kumbakonam has recorded good growth. “At least 50% of the sale is registered against agricultural lands and the rest in urban areas,” said a district officer in Thanjavur. The proximity to NH7 and NH45, the busiest national highways, are attracting buyers to the industrial corridor of Salem, particularly Hosur.

“With too many choices around, buyers are doing window shopping. The sale will pick up”. With the National Housing Bank (NHB) Residex, that tracks on the housing prices in cities suggesting fall in real estate prices of several areas in Chennai region, the demand will soon pick up. “There is a high rise in first time buyers.

In the Western parts of the state, property buying was strong in Namakkal and Thiruchengode towns, famous for ‘super schools.’

Source: The Times of India, Chennai

Exclusively for Guitar Players – June 15,16,17 2013

Come and study at SAM for three days with a Jazz/Fusion legend and star guitar faculty of Musicians Institute (MI) in Los Angeles.

Virtuoso guitar master Jeff Richman is one of America’s most prolific guitarists in the Jazz/Rock and Fusion genres. Jeff has been among the ‘A’ list of Los Angeles players for the last few decades.

Exclusively for Guitar Players – June 15,16,17 2013

Come and study at SAM for three days with a Jazz/Fusion legend and star guitar faculty of Musicians Institute (MI) in Los Angeles.

Virtuoso guitar master Jeff Richman is one of America’s most prolific guitarists in the Jazz/Rock and Fusion genres. Jeff has been among the ‘A’ list of Los Angeles players for the last few decades.

For more about Jeff click here.

he Program

Jeff Richman, the consummate guitar player, teacher, composer and arranger will bring his decades of top-notch performance and LA studio experience to hone the technical and musical skills of Camp students. Through a well defined hands on approach designed to bring out all aspects of musicianship, Jeff will focus on melodic and chordal approaches to improvisation, composition, arranging and interpretation. For more information on the Program click here.

Registration

To register for this camp click here.

MIDAS – a niche institution for architecture education is addressing global need for high quality architects. As per the recent rankings, MIDAS ranks amongst the Top 10 Architecture Institutes in Tamil Nadu. In a short span of time, this is an achievement for MIDAS and stands testimony to the quality of architecture education being imparted at MIDAS with a concerted industry focus

Builders across the country have been worried as unsold housing stock have been piling up in the recent months.

Chennai’s unsold housing stock, for instance, has risen from 20,000 units a year ago to 45,000 units now as per a study conducted by international realty consultant Jones Lang LaSalle. Sales have dipped across seven major markets in India in the first quarter of 2013, . As against 80,000 apartments sold in the last quarter of 2012, only 65,000 units were sold between January and March this year. A sizeable portion, about 39% of these sales happened in the National Capital Region (NCR). Mumbai accounts for 18%, Bangalore 15%, Chennai 13% and Pune 8%.

The waiting period for unsold inventory in Chennai is the lowest among seven major Indian cities, said Puri. While the average waiting period for a completed apartment to get sold in the country is 15 months, in Chennai it is only 10 months. Hyderabad and Kolkata have a slightly higher waiting period of 12 months, Pune and Gurgaon 14 months and Bangalore 23 months. An average apartment in Mumbai, which has the highest waiting period, gets sold after 34 months of completion. It is this comparatively higher demand for residential apartments that helped Chennai rebound soon after the 2008-09 realty slump,.

Differentiating between Chennai city and outlying areas, “While the demand for housing in the core city is quite high even now, it has slowed down in the suburbs.”the slump in the suburbs partly to an unprecedented glut in supplies and partly to a steep hike in prices, especially on the Old Mahabalipuram Road in a short span of six to nine months. “Until a year ago, apartment price on the OMR was in the region of Rs 4,000 per sq ft. It suddenly went up to Rs 5,500 per sq ft in areas like Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam, which still lag in good social infrastructure. Naturally”.

About 35% of Chennai suburbs unsold housing stock is on the OMR, “If investors who have funded the projects find it difficult to exit, the market may crash as it happened in the case of NCR,”. Too much concentration by builders on OMR is the bane of Chennai, noted  “When so much of development is happening on the OMR, transportation facility and social infrastructure need to be improved manifold.”

Source: The Times of India, Chennai

SAM President Prasanna and SAM percussion faculty Ghatam Karthick in concert this Saturday at the Music Academy with a never before lineup of amazing musicians.

What do you think sells best in the city?

Apartments are the most popular property type in Chennai. The main reason behind this is that owners find apartments easier to maintain due to the support of the association. In addition, apartments give a feeling of security to its inhabitants.

What is the current scenario of re-development in Chennai?

Chennai is gradually moving towards re-development. The corporation is extending its limits around Chennai and is planning to give facilities in these extended limits.

Which locations are being redeveloped in Chennai?

Localities such as East Coast Road (ECR), Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road, Oragadam and Sriperumbudur are a few localities which are witnessing rapid redevelopment.

Which are the future growth corridors of the city and what factors affect their growth?

GST Road and OMR are the fastest growing residential sectors in Chennai. There has been rapid development of IT/ITeS industry in the areas around GST, OMR and ECR. This has facilitated growth of the residential sector in these areas. Oragadam and Sriperumpudur are the major industrial zones of the city. Since there is substantial industrial growth in Chennai, residential development is also taking place in these locations.

Can you define affordability and luxury in Chennai?

Affordability and luxury vary as per the location in the city. For instance, in prime locations of South and Central Chennai, lower end properties are available within Rs 15,000-20,000 per sq ft. Luxury depends on the facilities offered in the projects. It usually starts at Rs 20,000 per sq ft.

Similarly, in developing locations like OMR, GST Road, areas near Maraimalar Nagar, Chengalpattu, Sriperumpudur and Oragadam, lower end properties are available in values ranging between Rs 2,800 to Rs 4,800 per sq ft and luxury apartments start at Rs 6,000 per sq ft and go up to Rs 10, 000 per sq ft.

Real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle elaborates on the prices of 2BHK apartments across the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai over an area of 1,000 square feet.

Prime property, the weekly real estate reckoner, finds out the prices of 2 BHK apartments across the four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

Mumbai’s property market remains subdued. High prices continue to dampen buyer sentiment. Jones Lang LaSalle is particularly bullish on the western suburbs and Navi Mumbai. It also advises buyers to hold on to purchases for now.

Rohan Sharma, Senior Manager Research, at Jones Lang LaSalle India says, “For a buyer it might make sense for him to see if the continued pressure on developers on unsold inventory makes them come down on prices. That trend has not been seen. But increasing pressure may lead to a situation where they might be able to get better. Schemes are being introduced in which they can enter into the market. So, they might get favourable payment terms and they might want to hold on for a minute and then enter the market.”

Mumbai’s loss is often seen as Pune’s gain. With the average price being less than Rs 5,000 a square feet Jones Lang LaSalle is bullish on Pune as an investment option.

“We have locations like Wakad and Aundh towards western side and Hadapsar which are doing well. However, they are still yet to pick up pace on the overall level of development. So, prices may not move up very quickly”, adds Sharma.

New Delhi’s builder flats have also witnessed a slowdown. Builders in Defence Colony and Panchsheel Park have been finding it difficult to sell independent floors but still don’t want to budge on prices.

These flats are being viewed as too expensive and buyers have a plethora of options in the suburbs of Gurgaon and Noida with bigger specks and plenty of amenities.

“In terms of investment activity the Dwarka Expressway is seeing a lot of launches and good traction. There was a lot of end-user activity in this part of Gurgaon. Now, price points have increased, projects are being offered with better specifications. So, investor activity is also happening here. However, there are situations where a project priced at Rs 6500 a square foot in the primary market from a developer an investor is willing to sell-off at around Rs 5500-5600 a square feet.

Bangalore has seen many launches off-late. Jones Lang LaSalle says prices as well as rents have increased marginally since April. It expects rents for residential properties to continue to head north.

Sharma says, “Hebbal Flyover, in a radius of 3-4 kilometers, there is a good amount of residential activity happening. There is the North-East quadrant which we talk about Bangalore and where most of the residential launches and sales are happening.”

And in Chennai Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) continues to be the hotspot for new launches. However a few high-end launches in the City Centre, where there is little available land, have been witnessed.

Overall Chennai is a stable market with no major movement expected in prices.

“Prices are looking stable in Chennai and they are merging corridors. They will take a while and this is a slightly slower market with respect to overall sales. So, entering today or maybe three, four months down the line would not make much of a difference on pricing”, adds Sharma.

Prices in Kolkata have remained steady. It is not easy to get a home in Central Kolkata as the concept of apartment complexes is still developing. All the action though seems to be at Eastern Metropolitan (EM) bypass and Rajarhat.

Sharma says, “EM Bypass has projects available at higher end segment. They can go as high as Rs 14,000-15,000 a square feet and prices at Rs 7,000-8,000. So, a larger part it is catering to the upper-mid to a slightly luxury segment kind of profile. Rajarhat is slightly on the lower side. It is more an affordable location. Prices are typically between Rs 3,000-5,000 a square feet.”

Source:moneycontrol

Welcome to Savithanjali, Luxury apartments at Chennai, OMR build by Marg Properties- A reputed Builders in chennai. It is a premium gated community conceptualized with fine design, fine living in mind. Savithanjali has breath taking panoramic views and four sided ventilation which ensure you stay healthy with fresh sea breeze and abundant sunlight pouring into your home. The excellent design ensures the privacy of an individual house even while living in an apartment.

Savithanjali is located adjacent to SSN engineering college, just 4 kms from the Kelambakkam junction on the OMR IT expressway. The 16 floor high rise apartments offer one a spectacular view and houses 714 apartments in all. To make life more convenient, Savithanjali has all the amenities that one could dream of , right from a fully loaded club house to a Convenio, Gym, Outdoor and Indoor games, Clinic, Creche, Library and Lush green open spaces for elders and children to relax . These ensure that you never have to go too far for anything that you may need.

Come, rekindle your romance with mood lighting. enjoy convenience at your fingertips with one touch of the master remote. Surf the web with wi-fi connectivity. Save power with intelligent lighting. Ensure safety of your loved ones with burglar alarms at every door and much more. At Savithanjali you will enjoy all the convenience of technology in a warm and secure ambience.

• Apartments ranging from 578-3149 Sq.ft
• Studio apartments starts from 19 Lac onwards
• 2 & 3 BHK starts from 42 Lac onwards
• Duplex & Pent house starts from 70 Lac onwards

Location Map :

Specifications :

Amenities :

With such inteligient and tech-smart systems in place, can top-notch amenities and features be far behind? Savithanjali comes packed with a host of amenities that make sure that you never need to step out of your home for just about anything.

Are you looking for a property in Chennai that assures return on investment? Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) can be an ideal option. Yes, the residential rental market in the area is seeing an upward trend. The rental values have increased by 25 per cent in the Apr-Jun 2013 quarter. Data also shows that the current rental values for a 1BHK range from Rs 6,000-10,000, for a 2BHK from Rs 12,000-16,000 and for a 3BHK from Rs 20,000-25,000 per month.

The set-up of IT establishments in and around the OMR has what turned into its favour. “OMR is home to over 240 software companies employing more than 1.2 lakh professionals. It is a major hub of working populace that is pushing the demand for rented accommodation.

“The rental space in the area is preferred by single professionals or by young and small families, who would like to stay near their workplace”.

IT/ITeS companies like Satyam Computer Services, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Bahwan CyberTek Group, Accenture India, TECCI Park, Wipro Technologies, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Scope International, Photon Infotech, Polaris Software Lab and Infosys to name a few that are situated along the IT Corridor. The area stretches from TIDEL Park in Tharamani to SIPCOT IT Park in Siruseri. TIDEL Park is home to a number of BPO and IT/ITeS companies.

The area also offers ready-to-move-in condominiums and cooperative multi-storeys with functional sweeping, drainage and sewerage system. Developers present in the area are MARG Properties ,Hiranandani Group, Vishram Builders, Silicon Realty Ventures, Provident Housing Limited, Vaikund Estates, XS Real Properties and Urban Tree Infrastructures among others.

Apart from this, the area provides easy accessibility to nearby areas. “Sholinganallur is at a distance of 5-km. Connectivity to ECR, Velachery and Kelambakkam is easy and smooth with frequent bus service. Shared buses and autos are also available throughout the day. Hotels like Asiana and Sabari Classic as well as all kinds of restaurants are also present in the vicinity.

The area has well developed social and physical infrastructure as well. It is located close to the city centre. It also has a number of schools, hospitals and neighbourhood markets. It is about half an hour drive from the airport. Prominent Government Institutes and technical/educational institutions like Chennai Mathematical Institute are also situated along the corridor.

SAM President Prasanna and SAM spring 2013 faculty from Jordan – Farah Siraj will be featured in MTV Coke Studio Series 3 as key members of Oscar winning Composer A.R. Rahman’s band. The show will air in Aug 2013 and will be broadcast in several countries around the world. A.R. Rahman talks about the project and the musicians in this Indian Express feature -http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ar-rahman-to-celebrate-the-diversity-of-musical-genres-in-coke-studio/1139212/

The first and foremost payment to be made to the builder is the booking advance (up to 10 percent of the property value) for which a receipt duly acknowledging the payment and an allotment letter is given to you. Since some builders make the booking advance non-refundable, it will do you good to be completely sure of the deal.

The allotment letter is a document that is given by the builder to the buyer when a property is booked. The letter contains facts and figures of the property, payment options and other charges applied for maintenance, added amenities etc. Normally, it is only issued after a payment of 15 percent of total value of the property. It also gives you information about the construction details and plans, architecture details and certain other specifications of the project, the date of delivery etc. This letter will give you a strong hold in case the builder is delaying your possession. You must discuss any preferences, such as choice of floor, parking etc. before receiving the allotment letter as these options will be included in it. This is the first agreement that you sign with the builder and includes the following:

• Booking amount
• Terms of construction
• Carpet area, built up area and super built up area
• Cost of car park if any, and other amenities such as a club house, gymnasium etc. as promised by the builder
• Final amount due from you, including all charges such as VAT, service tax, charges for amenities and car park. The costs incurred during the registration will not be mentioned in the allotment letter.

Why is this necessary?

Usually, at the time of a bank loan application, the allotment letter that will have the description of the subject property that is being sold/bought by the two parties is required to be handed over. It is the most important document for applying for a loan, as it contains the details of the amount you have to pay for the purchase of your house. Thereafter, the remaining amount will be calculated and financed by the bank.

An allotment letter holds great value as it is the only document which will be with you as proof of your property dealing. If you have not been offered your dream house in time or as it was promised, then this letter will help you lead a case. An allotment letter is vital in availing a loan from the bank, as the letter mentions the amount of money which you have to pay to the builder/housing society, so that remaining amount can be financed by the bank. Generally, on the basis of this letter, the bank finances the remaining amount.

Although the general impression is that the sales agreement holds supreme importance in a property deal, the allotment letter comes in when you are deprived of what you were promised. For example, if on any one of the pertinent aspects mentioned in the allotment letter, your builder refuses to give adequate proof of document, as a buyer you can opt not to make a subsequent payment and can demand that unless he satisfies the disputed aspect, you will not make the payment. It will legally bind him to refund the money.

Source: Chennai realty

About MIDAS click –>: Architecture college in chennai

About MARG Swarnabhoomi–>: MARG Educity

SAM welcomes the incredible mridangam master PRAPANCHAM RAVINDRAN as its Indian Percussion Faculty for Fall 2013 semester – Ravindran is one of the most acclaimed mridangam players in the scene today and is most well known for his performances in concerts and recordings with SAM President Prasanna. He has performed with legendary names in Carnatic music including Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Voleti Venkateswarulu, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, Dr. N. Ramani, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Dr. L. Subramaniam, U. Shrinivas and many others. He is a highly acclaimed composer, bandleader, recording artist and teacher who is known for training numerous mridangam students through his Ravindran Academy of Music. Here are two clips of his masterful playing – one percussion solo with co-SAM Faculty Ghatam Karthick and one clip of a National Television concert with Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LTRuPG5g5R8

Government needs to ensure availability of land and speedy approvals for effective implementation of low-cost housing projects, real estate developers’ body NARDECO said on July 23.

“For effective implementation of low-cost housing projects, it is imperative that the government ensures availability of land at subsidised rates, fast approvals, property tax relief, funding support, additional FSI, connectivity to suburbs and creation of special residential zones,” National Real Estate Development Council (NARDECO) President Navin Raheja said in a statement.

Demanding infrastructure status for the sector, he said, “This will help the sector getting government incentives, subsidies and tax benefits. Besides, it will also lead to lower cost of funding and taking loans from financial institutions will become cheaper translating to more supply of affordable houses.”

He further said that upward revision of floor area ratio (FAR), ground coverage and population density norms are required on priority basis.

“In most states, the floor area ratio (FAR) density and ground coverage norms do not support the creation of affordable housing the long approval process is another major problem. In major cities where land cost is high, this is possible only under PPP model,” Raheja added.

Source: The Economic Times, Mumbai

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low budget flats in chennai-marg swarnabhoomi aayush apartments

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About MIDAS —> Architecture college in chennai

About MARG SWARNABHOOMI —>MARG EDUCITY

MARG Institute of Design and Architecture, Swarnabhoomi (MIDAS), a niche institution for architecture education organized an orientation programme today (3.8.2013) to welcome the third set of new batch students today. The annual event witnessed the presence of eminent personalities as guests of honor, who have brought significant change in the society and has been a motivating factor for younger generations.

MARG Institute of Design and Architecture, Swarnabhoomi (MIDAS), a niche institution for architecture education, addresses the global need for high quality architects and providing an experiential and Integrated Learning Environment, organized an orientation programme to welcome the third set of new batch students. MIDAS is affiliated to Anna University, Chennai and approved by Council of Architecture, New Delhi.

This is an annual event organized before semester begins where the new B.Arch. students acclimatize themselves to the course curriculum and are also introduced to the faculty. Parents were also invited for this induction and orientation at MIDAS. The students were seemingly excited in beginning their new phase of college life in the lush green environs abound MIDAS at MARG Swarnabhoomi. Amid much fanfare the new students were welcomed at MIDAS.  Various dignitaries & speakers exhorted MIDAS students to critically think, reflect & research on the contemporary issues in Indian & Global infrastructure.

The dignitaries present during the occasion included multifaceted and inspirational personalities like Major (Dr) Surendra Poonia – VSM, an international medal winning Indian sportsman, decorated Army Officer, para-commando, motivational speaker, fitness expert and a doctor, Srijan Pal Singh, IIM-(A) gold medalist, CEO, Global Care Organization & the co-author with Dr. Abdul Kalam of the bestselling book “Target 3 Billion” , T Chitty Babu, Executive Chairman, Akshaya Homes Pvt Ltd and Mr. Ajit Sharma, curator and host at TEDx – Jaipur & Founder & CEO – AWC Industries. Other speakers included GRK Reddy, CMD, MARG Group, Rajini Reddy, MD, Exemplarr Worldwide, Dr M K Padmanabhan, Senior Advisor, MARG Education Services and Prof Jaffer Khan, Director, MIDAS.

Srijan Pal Singh who has been roped in by MIDAS for an innovative project of creating sustainable habitats said that “I am involved in a project on Sustainable Habitats in rural areas through innovative experiments involving MIDAS students. Seeing the drive, innovation and creative focus of MIDAS students, I am sure that we will together be able to create a basic rural habitat plan that is scientifically designed and aesthetically improved ”.

GRK Reddy, CMD, MARG Group, who is the visionary force behind MIDAS said, “It is indeed a pleasure to see a new set of budding architects as the next batch at MIDAS. MIDAS has successfully carved a niche in Indian architecture education and has endeavored to re-define architecture education with a global perspective through slew of workshops & projects already planned for the academic year. With infrastructure and real estate being a critical element of our economic development, there will be ample scope for architects from MIDAS to make a mark for themselves. I wish the new batch a great action-packed, fun-filled learning experience at MIDAS.”

In his welcome address to the students, Prof. Jaffer AA Khan, Director, MIDAS, introduced them the teaching pedagogy of MIDAS. The new set of students will pursue 5 years Bachelor Degree Program in Architecture (B.Arch – Architecture Studies).  Prof Khan opined as to how MIDAS has truly emerged as the nurturing ground for architecture based thought leadership & is now attracting the creamy layer of the students across the country through its innovative pedagogy which uniquely blends practical, industry-focused education in a 22.8 million sq. ft. live lab eco-system of MARG Swarnabhoomi.

Prof. Jaffer AA Khan, Director, MIDAS, added “I am extremely happy today to welcome the new set of students to our institution. Though we have a long way to go, it’s heartening that that MIDAS in a short span is already rated amongst the top architecture education institutes in Tamil Nadu & South India.  MIDAS will continue its focus to bring experts and extraordinary performers in the field of architecture to share their invaluable thoughts with the emerging minds. Students at MIDAS therefore get a deeper understanding of Art with a social context.”

Major (Dr) Surendra Poonia, in a highly motivating speech said “My ultimate goal is public service – and I see many ways of achieving this. I am involved in various projects that raise awareness among young people about issues ranging from health and lifestyle, sports and fitness as well as topics like environmental awareness. I want such issues of social benefit and sustainability to be reflected in architectural works of MIDAS students.”

The other guests like T Chitty Babu, and Ajit Sharma appreciated students for choosing architecture as a field and appealed to the budding architects to preserve & promote cultural identity in architecture. They encouraged the students to make the most of the 1000 acre inclusive & sustainable eco-system at MARG Swarnabhoomi where MIDAS is housed . They also expressed happiness at the excellent facilities being provided at MIDAS viz. a well equipped library, a futuristic studio, large spacious classrooms plus audio and video learning support along with recreational & sports amenities like swimming pool, basket ball courts, multi-purpose sports ground, convenio store, 24 hours clinic and a gym.

A flyover connecting the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the East Coast Road is now a step closer to reality. The design of the flyover that would start near Tidel Park on OMR and land on ECR was given a go-ahead by a technical committee of the state highways department that met a few days ago. “The alignment of the flyover was decided in December last. Now we have decided where the arms will come and where exactly the flyover will land,” said an official of the state highways department.

TOI was the first to report when the alignment committee gave its nod in December last. The flyover will begin just after the small bridge on the Buckingham Canal on West Avenue Road. It will then cross the much-dreaded Lattice Bridge Road junction, turn right and then land on ECR near the Thiruvanmiyur RTO. “The final detailed project report will be submitted in three months. A tender will then be floated and work on land acquisition will start in a year,” said the official.

This is touted to be one of the most expensive flyovers in the city, given its size. “The cost has been estimated at Rs 400 crore,” said the official.

Unlike previous projects, land acquisition will be completed before construction begins. “This is to ensure that cost of construction doesn’t keep increasing with delays in land acquisition,” said the engineer. Construction of flyovers in Porur, Moolakadai and Thirumangalam has been delayed due to land acquisition issues.

Commuters on the stretch say that while the flyover would make a difference, the Tidel Park junction is still a bigger problem. “This flyover will make a difference, albeit a small one. It is a temporary solution and the bigger problem is at Tidel Park,” said Suresh Menon, a cinematographer who has been working with the Chennai Traffic Police on solutions for traffic management in the area. “While one would take 10 minutes to cross the traffic signal at LB Road, it takes at least 45 minutes to cross Tidel Park signal. Coming from Madhya Kailash, traffic piles up well past Thiruvanmiyur MRTS station,” he said.

Earlier this year, the state government announced that a 45-km elevated road would connect Madhya Kailash and Mahabalipuram. “We will soon appoint a consultant to study the feasibility of this project as well,” said a highways engineer.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Karuna Sagar said this was the only real solution in sight. “There is nothing else we can do to manage the traffic flow. It takes more than one signal cycle to clear traffic and hopefully the situation will improve after these projects,” he said.

Source: The Times of India, Chennai