In what appears to be an effort to protect the interests of Karnataka’s industries and businesses, the state government is not so keen on welcoming the metro corridor between Hosur and Bommasandra, which if implemented, could be south India’s first interstate metro. Information Technology and Biotechnology minister Priyank Kharge speaking to The Indian Express, expressed his concerns over the proposed interstate metro connectivity between Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bommasandra and termed it "counter-productive". With factors like cheap land rates, growing industry intake and low cost of living in Hosur, which is just 25 km from Benglauru’s IT hub, Electronic City, Karnataka government officials fear that the metro connectivity will encourage micro and small-scale industries and startups to shift base from Electronic City to Hosur, given the latter’s cost-effective environment compared to Bengaluru. In fact, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has already begun the work of preparing the tender document seeking a consultant to conduct feasibility study for the interstate metro. Bommasandra falls on the Yellow Line and is part of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s (BMRCL) phase 2 project. The Yellow Line is also expected to be operational by December-end this year. In fact, K-RIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company [Karnataka] Limited) has also proposed to extend the Bengaluru suburban rail project to Hosur. “The interstate metro connectivity between Bommasandra and Hosur will be counterproductive for Karnataka’s investment prospects. We cannot afford to lose human resources and investment opportunities, which have been our greatest strengths. We are not against any infrastructure project, but it is important we think of our state’s interests first. The government will respond to this accordingly,” said Kharge. Another government official, on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express, “The interstate metro project is not within the interests of Karnataka. Given the cheap land rates on the other side of the border, Karnataka will lose employment opportunities if MSMEs and startups try to shift base to Hosur. Let Chennai metro begin the feasibility study. We will act on it in the days to come.” However, BV Gopal Reddy, president of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI) dismissed any sort of fears in industries or startups shifting to Hosur because of metro connectivity. “Investment opportunities are usually triggered by the kind of incentives the government provides. Moreover, we are encouraging investment in tier 2 and tier 3 cities because Bengaluru has reached the saturation point for investments, especially around Electronic City- Hosur region. There are also a lot of pros and cons to this proposal (interstate metro). In fact, Tamil Nadu’s electricity charges are higher than that of Karnataka, but land rates are cheaper. However, the talent pool lies in Bengaluru. Overall, I believe metro connectivity would not hamper investments for Bengaluru, but it will only lead to exchange of labour between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” said Reddy. The proposed Bommasandra-Hosur Metro corridor spans a total of 20.5 km, with 11.7 km falling in Karnataka and the remaining 8.8 km in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, Hosur, which has a population of over 5 lakh, houses around 3500 industries including MSMEs and big-ticket companies like Ashok Leyland, TVS, Titan, among others. In fact, Ola, which is a Bengaluru-based company, has set up a 500-acre Ola Future Factory in Krishnagiri, which is 90 km from Hosur, in Tamil Nadu.
