A bit of old and new Bengaluru

With Bengaluru witnessing a burgeoning growth in the areas of commercial and office space, there is an increased demand for residences. Take one of Bengaluru’s oldest localities, Sanjay Nagar, for instance. The locality has transformed into a sprawling and thriving area today, with many of its residents batting for it. Established in the late ‘70s, it has witnessed immense growth and has seen many people moving here for its ease of access and affordability. The area’s residents predominately belong to the upper-middle and upper class.

A part of the Hebbal constituency, Sanjay Nagar comprises many colonies like Excise Colony, Vinayaka Layout, RMS Colony and Nagashettyhalli. One of the most recognisable landmarks is the Vaibhav Theatre (now shut down) and it is perhaps a landmark that is intertwined with the identity of the locality.

There are various factors that make Sanjay Nagar a viable place to stay in. “Excellent connectivity, easy access to everyday facilities like supermarkets, reputed organisations like ISRO and the presence of lush parks make Sanjay Nagar an attractive locality to live in,” says Pratik Mehta, managing director, Unishire.

Further, as some of the residences are located away from the main roads, it offers some peace and quiet, say some residents.

In the middle of things
The area’s location is ideal as it has excellent connectivity to both the Central Business District (CBD) and the international airport. With the development of Outer Ring Road, the area witnessed enhanced connectivity to other sections of the City, including IT corridor areas like Whitefield, Kundanahalli and Marathahalli. Sanjay Nagar is also close to the City railway
station, Vidhana Soudha and MG Road. It is well connected to technical institutions such as MS Ramaiah College of Engineering, Rajiv Gandhi Institute Of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science.

What about the prices?
Independent homes dominate Sanjay Nagar. In the past few years, however, there have been a handful of high-rises/apartments that have been coming up as well. There has also been an increase in commercial and realty activities. The prices for the residences have seen a rapid and exponential growth. “Five years ago, the land price was in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per sq ft and 10 years ago, it was in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per sq ft,” says Suresh Hari, secretary, CREDAI.

Today, however, the land prices can vary from anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 11,000 per sq ft, while the capital values can range from Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000 per sq ft. There has been a significant increase for ‘A’ khata property. For these, the rates range between Rs 8,000 and Rs 12,000. Rent wise, one can expect Rs 20,000-25,000 for a two-BHK and Rs 25,000-35,000 for a three-BHK.

“However, proximity to Manyata Tech Park has provided a huge increase in rental incomes in the area, which grew from the range of Rs 3,000-4,000 per month to Rs 7,000-10,000,” adds Pratik. Builder homes with landlords renting out upper floors are a common phenomenon in the locality. With its ever growing popularity among potential buyers and with the prices raging, Sanjay Nagar has become one of the expensive places in Bengaluru. Being a rather posh locality, one can find many businessmen, politicians and celebrities calling it home.

Improved facilities
The infrastructure and the facilities of Sanjay Nagar have seen a marked improvement since it was first established. Suresh believes that this is primarily because the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) developed it extensively during its formative years. Take for instance public transport. “Initially, none of the autos or cabs would ferry towards Sanjay Nagar or even to Mekhri Circle (which is nearby) as it was considered ‘out of Bengaluru’,” Yati Himatsingka, a resident of Sanjay Nagar for over 30 years, says. Today, the scenario has changed and it has excellent public transport that connects the locality to various parts of the City.

As more and more people have moved into the locality, its facilities have also improved to meet the demands of its residents. It has also witnessed good commercial activity and today, the main road of Sanjay Nagar boasts of all the major brands and excellent hangout places and eateries.

The area has become self-sufficient with necessary social and physical infrastructure, including grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies and educational institutions. Furthermore, everything is just a stone throw away. “More recently, retail activity has been picking up along Sanjay Nagar’s main road,” reveals Naveen Nandwani, executive director, Cushman & Wakefield.
Not so picture perfect.

Although the area has seen various positive developments, there have been some drawbacks, too. Naveen feels that there is limited scope for new residential development due to scarce availability of land. This becomes a major hurdle for the area’s growth and makes its progress slow. “As most of the independent bungalows or villas are family-owned, residents are not comfortable with selling them. This leads to scarcity of land for development,” agrees Pratik.

Having good, clean and pothole-free roads is one of the most important priorities for its residents, as there have been many unpleasant driving experiences in the area. Traffic is a major concern, especially in the arterial roads. “The Sanjay Nagar main road is rather narrow and is the only major internal connecting corridor. This makes it difficult for traffic to move easily,” says Naveen. Unless this is streamlined, chaotic traffic may be a deterrent for home buyers.

But despite its faults, Sanjay Nagar holds a lot of promise. This has encouraged many
realtors to show a keen interest in the locality, making it a good bet for prospective home owners.

Resident speak
‘It’s a privilege to be living here...’
I have been living in the locality for the past 30 years. Sanjay Nagar is a serene locality with a lot of greenery surrounding the area. It has great facilities. The presence of good educational institutions, supermarkets, shopping centres and restaurants are a boon. Although Sanjay Nagar has improved a lot since I first moved in, I feel that the infrastructure is not in line with the area’s growing population and it needs to be much more robust, especially with regard to the realty projects. That aside, one of the major problems that afflicts the area is its traffic and narrow roads. Also, when traffic increases, these roads are unable to take in the high influx. Garbage disposal is also another problem as there is no regular garbage collection system in place. But despite these problems, the locality is evergreen, calm and peaceful. It’s a privilege to be living here.
Manjunath Ramakrishna


Some upcoming residential projects
*Hoysala Infantry Towers - Hoysala Projects
*Ssivana Varalakshme Adobe - Ssivana Devlopers
*Anubhava Ishwerya Quartz - Anubhava Group
*Purva Atria – Purvankara Group
*Ram Mi Casa – RS Ram Properties (P) Ltd
*RS Ram Krishan – RS Ram Properties (P) Ltd