Velachery | |
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— Neighbourhood — | |
Velachery Railway Station | |
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Coordinates: 12°58′33″N 80°13′14″E / 12.9758°N 80.2205°ECoordinates: 12°58′33″N 80°13′14″E / 12.9758°N 80.2205°E | |
Country | India |
State | Tamil Nadu |
District | Chennai |
Metro | Chennai |
Zone | Adyar |
Ward | 175-182 |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Body | Chennai Corporation |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Vehicle registration | TNO7 |
Lok Sabha constituency | Chennai South |
Legislative Assembly constituency | Velachery |
Website | http://www.chennaicorporation.gov.in/ (Governmental) |
Velachery (Tamil: வேளச்சேரி), originally known as Vedasreni meaning Abode of Vedas, is a residential area in South Chennai, a metropolitan city in Tamil Nadu, India. The growth of Velachery during the last decade can be cited due to the growth of the IT sector in south Chennai. It acts as an important hub connecting the rapidly growing business class Information Technology corridor popularly called OMR; the more mature and well connected GST road and the Central Business Districts of the city, which has more relevance to the history of Chennai. Velachery as a whole draws a perfect balance between Old and New Chennai and is a phenomenon in terms of growth. The infrastructure of Velachery is a reflection of the lessons learnt from old chennai and a glimpse of new Chennai.
The rapid growth of Velachery as a commercial and residential hub, could be attributed to its geographical advantage in terms of the connectivity to other parts of the city.
- The Velachery main road on the south, connects the fastest growing suburbs of south Chennai and Mount Road (Anna Salai) at Guindy via Velachery. A section of this road connects Guindy and Velachery and is home to some of the oldest localities.
- The 100 ft Bye-pass road connects Guindy on the north west.
- The Taramani link road on the north east connects Velachery with Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR).
- The Jawaharlal Nehru Salai also called the 100 ft road or Inner Ring Road, Chennai passes along the MRTS line and connects near the airport the GST road, an arterial road in Chennai.
- The Taramani Link Road in Velachery also connects to MGR Salai, an arterial road that connects to OMR.
- Velachery comes under the Taluk of Mambalam-Guindy in Chennai District
A report by Cushman & Wakefield has projected this locality to be one among the Main Street retail hubs in the city.[1]
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Etymology
Velachery was known as Vedashreni (meaning "Abode of Vedas") and Vedanarayanapuram during the Chola period. Eventually, the Tamil word வேள் that represents King or the Leader that also denotes Lord Sri Narasimha Swami (Ref: சிங்கவேள்குன்றம், Ahobilam), was used to denote this place along with the Tamil word சேரி which literally means a place where people gather and hence Velachery (the people who gathered to worship Lord Sri Yoga Narasimha Swamy). Besides the Presence of Lord Sri Yoga Narasimhar Swamy's temple,there is also a Shivaalyam or Shiva Temple,as soon as one enter its Garbha Gruha or the Sanctum Sanatorium one can see the inscriptions in the walls of the temple dating back to the 12th century.As it proves to be the name Velachery has been evolved from the Sacred word Vedashreni.
Location
Velachery is surrounded by IIT Madras in the north-east, Taramani in the east, Adambakkam in the northwest and Pallikaranai Marshland in the south; other neighbouring areas include Madippakkam, Guindy, Adyar, Perungudi, Tharamani and Thiruvanmiyur. Most of the neighbourhood is residential.
Location in Context
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Alandur | Guindy | Guindy National Park | ![]() |
Adambakkam | ![]() |
Taramani(OMR) | ||
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Madipakkam | Pallikaranai Wetland | Perungudi(OMR) |
Geography
Velachery mostly has areas of hard rock. Many areas of Velachery are below sea level and originally these areas were lakes. It is said that Velachery had a marshland that was once a natural bird sanctuary. Due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. There is a big marshland in Pallikaranai, south of Velachery.
Transportation
Air
The nearest airport to Velachery is the Chennai International Airport near Meenambakkam which is at a distance of ~8–10.5 km. The shortest way to reach the airport is by using the Inner Ring Road (IRR) which has less traffic. The other way is to go via Guindy using the GST-Anna Salai(Mount Road)route which takes a lot of time due to traffic and its the longest route. Autos (Indian Taxi) and Taxicab ply between Airport and Velachery at a nominal cost of ₹ 200-250 (US$ 4-5). MTC buses also ply on this route but one has to break the journey and change buses.
Road
Velachery is well connected to rest of the city by bus services operated by MTC. Vijaynagar Bus Terminus is the major and biggest bus stand in the Velachery locality from were buses ply to various parts of the city. There are three arterial roads: Velachery Main Road, Tharamani Link Road, and Velachery Bypass Road. The Vijay Nagar junction is one of the most important junctions in the heart of the city.
Satellite mofussil bus termini is proposed to be set up in Velachery and Madhavaram at a total cost of 800 million to ease traffic congestion in the city.[2]
Rail
Station Code: VLCY-- Velachery is well connected by broad gauge rail (Indian gauge) to the rest of the city through the Velachery MRTS Railway Station. The daily EMU services are operated by the Indian Railways. The second phase of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) between Tirumailai and Velachery was formally inaugurated by Dr.Karunadhi(former CM of Tamil Nadu)in the presence of R.Velu(former Union Minister of State for Railways)and this became operational from 15th day of November 2007.
The project should have been completed two years before the opening date, but some technical snag, delayed the project. The Indian railways's original plan was to have an elevated track from Tirumailai(Mylapore) to Taramani and surface line from Taramani to Velachery. But as the soil was soft in and around Taramani and Perungudi, the railways had to go for the elevated track right up to Velachery, which took two more years for the project to complete. The MRTS extension work from Velachery to St. Thomas mount is expected to be completed by 2013. The extension work is going at snail's pace near St. Thomas Mount due to land acquisition and redistribution issues.
There are EMU services from Chennai Beach to Velachery at a minimum interval of 10 minutes and a maximum of 40 minutes. The first service starts at 0500 hrs and the last service is at 2300 hrs during week-days [3]
Tamil Nadu Government has proposed a plan for Monorail connecting Velachery with Vandalur, via Pallikaranai, Medavakkam, Tambaram, making the connectivity to the city with the suburban developing areas.
Hospitality
The locality is fast emerging as a hospitality destination in Chennai thanks to the availability of large land parcels, round the clock connectivity to the Business districts and its proximity to the airport. As many as 3 luxury majors have already set shops in and around Velachery.[4]
1. Westin Chennai, Velachery[5]
The hotel owned by Starwoods hotels and resorts, started construction in early 2011 and is scheduled to open on Dec 1st 2012.
2. ITC Grand Chola, Chennai[6]
This 7 star palace hotel located in Guindy, right between the Mount road and Velachery main road, as on date is claimed to be the biggest star hotel in Chennai.
3. Park Hyatt, Chennai[7]
This star property of the Hyatt group of hotels is located right on Velachery main road near Raj Bhavan in Chennai.
Infrastructure
One of the major reasons for Velachery to become a residential attraction is the infrastructure. Even though most of the regions in Velachery are flood prone, major investments have gone in to improve the storm water drain network in the locality. The corporation has also invested in rail and road connectivity to Velachery from the central business districts of Chennai.[8] Some major infrastructure projects which are being executed by the Chennai Corporation in Velachery are,
1. MRTS extension connecting Velachery with St. Thomas Mount.
The extension of the MRTS from Velachery to St. Thomas Mount is a long pending project which faced severe hardships since the last 0.5 km stretch of land is to be acquired from densely populated residential localities of St. Thomas Mount. This project is likely to be completed soon, as the link is crucial to realize the maximum usage of the MRTS.[9]
2. Construction of storm water drain connecting Velachery with South Buckingham canal.
The storm water drain network is being constructed underneath the 6 lane road connecting Velachery with Taramani.[10] This project is funded by the world bank.
3. Construction of twin flyovers at the busy Vijayanagar junction in Velachery.
The busy Vijaynagar junction in Velachery is to dot with twin multilevel flyovers that connects three arterial roads namely Velachery-Tambaram main road, 100 Feet Bye-pass road and Taramani link road.[11] These flyovers would bring much relief to the traffic choked Vijaynagar junction.[12]
4. Beautification of Velachery lake.
A detailed project report was prepared to make Velachery lake fit for boating and to make it a tourist attraction.[13] The corporation has initiated a major development plan for Velachery lake since it is one of the very few surviving water bodies in the city.[14][15] The lake also serves as a major ground water recharge for the adjoining localities.
SDAT Aquatic Complex
The Velachery Aquatic Complex is a swimming pool complex with spectator facilities in Chennai, India.
It was built by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) for serving as one of the venues of the 1995 South Asian Games. Facilities available at the complex include one racing pool (50 × 25 m), one diving pool (18 × 25 m), one warm-up pool (20 × 25 m), VIP lobby and lounge, change rooms, shower cubicles, physiotherapy room, first aid, CCTV, control room, electronic score board, gym, commentator box and seating for 4,000 spectators.
The pool is open to the public for membership and offers fee concessions for swimming competition medal winners
Infrastructure and environmental concerns
A major concern is that the recent rapid developments has also resulted in a few drawbacks, such as water scarcity, congestion of roads and the damage to the marshland. It is feared that in a few years unless something substantial is done, the marshlands would all be converted into residential and commercial properties.
Every November, Velachery is flooded by cyclonic rains. The major areas that are usually flooded are the low-lying areas around the Velachery Lake. A flood water drainage canal was constructed along the Velachery 100-feet (30 m) road. Due to encroachments, some part of the canal in the Velachery-Tambaram high road is not constructed completely. Generally it is felt that, after the canal was built; to a major extent, the flooding problem in many areas along the 100-feet road has decreased substantially. All the residential colonies that are lying south of Taramani link road got submerged in rain water during the floods in 2008 which was of moderate intensity. A major storm water drain project running all through the Taramani link road from Vijaynagar bus stand in Velachery connecting South Buckingham canal is in progress. This project which is funded by the World Bank, is expected to bring much relief to the residents of flood prone Velachery.
There are also two big open to air dumping grounds. These spoil the underground water and are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other flies and the frequent burning of the waste also creates lot of pollution problems to the people especially those traveling past it. It is a favorite shooting location among film makers and has been filmed in as far as 3 movies.
Now that Velachery has become a separate assembly constituency the woes of its residents are expected to be mitigated at a faster pace.[16]
Economy
Several IT/ITES companies have set up their offices in Velachery. Some major ones include Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),[17] ZOHO Corp, AllSec Technologies Ltd., TeleData and Sutherland Global Services.[18] IT & working-class people prefer to settle in Velachery as more IT parks emerge on the Old Mahabalipuram road and its proximity to the Central Business Districts of Chennai. This part of Chennai was considered to be socio-economically backwards a decade ago, but the area has changed rapidly after a string of key residential projects.[19] The standard of living in and around Velachery has increased considerably.
Angel Studio, Nuts 'N' Spices, Laptop Kollexions,Laptop store, LaLawrence and Mayo, Green Trends, Shetala Cameras, Titan Eye, SANG*MART, REX Fashions, Europa, Levi's, Peter England, Sony, United Colors of Benetton, Naidu Hall, Mega Mart, Metro Shoes and Roshini have their exclusive showrooms here.
Phoenix Market City was opened on January 2013 at Velachery is one of India's Biggest shopping Malls [20]
Indian bank, LIC of India, State Bank of India(SBI), Axis bank, ICICI bank, HDFC Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, Karur Vysya Bank, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank have branches in Velachery.
Food and Dining
Velachery is home to several famous restaurants like Milan, Karaikudi, Anjappar, Kebab court, Snow park, Wang's kitchen, Wonton, White Pepper, Ratna cafe, Hot chips, Parfait, The Peaches, Cafe Coffeday, Cafe Tapas, The Chocolate Room, Qwiky's Coffee, Flamingo, Krishna Sweets, Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Adayar Bakery, Blue Fox, Nawaz Durbar, Cakes and Bakes, Dindigul Thalapakatti Briyani, Simran's Appakadai, The French Loaf, Dominos pizza, Pizza corner, Pind, Haven Sampoorna, Sangeetha Foods, Snow's Park, The Rock, Baskin Robbins, The Dhaba, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Kumarakom, Bangs Fried Chicken, Food Fiesta, Mast Kalandar, Cake World, Baker's Code and Qwiky's.
It also has a drive in restaurant of McDonald's which is not elsewhere in the city.
Localities
The highest socio-economic areas in Velachery are Dhandeeswaram Nagar, Tansi Nagar, Dr.Seethapathy Nagar, Vijaya Nagar and Annai Indira Nagar. Some other areas are Chelliamman Nagar, Ramagiri Nagar, VGP Selva Nagar, Baby Nagar, Ram Nagar, Seshadripuram, Sri Devi Karumari Amman Nagar, Srinivasa nagar, Anna Nagar, Sarathy Nagar, Udhayam Nagar, Devi Karumariamman Nagar, Gangai Nagar, Venkateshwara Nagar, M.G.R Nagar, Lakshmi Nagar TNHB colony,Sasi Nagar, Ashtalakshmi Nagar, Jaganathapuram, Seva Nagar, Telugu Brahmin Street, Rajalakshmi Nagar, Balamurugan Nagar, Dr. Ambethkar Nagar and AGS colony part.
Colleges
- Gurunanak College on Velachery main road.
- Jerusalem College of Engineering, Chennai is situated at the Velachery - Tambaram main road, Narayanapuram, Pallikaranai. The College is 3 km from Velachery railway station.
- The Perumal Engineering College is 2.1 km to the south-east of the National Highway 45 (India) and the Madras Flying Club.
- Balaji Dental College & Hospital - Located adjacent to Jerusalem College of Engineering.
Schools
Schools in and around Velachery:
- Sivasakthi Matriculation School, 100Feet Road
- Vyasa Vidhyalaya Matric Higher Secondary School,Puzhuthivakkam
- Bethel Matric Higher Secondary school, Sarathy Nagar
- Velachery Government Hr. Sec School (popularly known as Periyasami School)
- Advent Christian High School
- D.A.V. Public School
- Raja Lakshmi Matriculation Higher Secondary School
- Shri A. Ganesan matric higher secondary school
- Guru nanak matric higher secondary school
- Akshayah matric higher secondary school
- Vishwa Barathi matric higher secondary school
- Pon Vidyashram
- St. Savio Matriculation Higher Secondary School
- St. Britto's Academy
- Corporation School, Raja Lakshmi Nagar
- Navadisha Montessori School
- St Antonys Middle School
- Sunshine Chennai Senior Secondary school
- Sri Sankara Vidyalya
- Arsha Vidya Mandir
Places of worship
Temples
Velachery is supposed to be abode of Shiva & Vaishnava Gods namely,
- Dhandeeswaram (Dhandeeswarar) Temple
- Sri Narasimha
- Sri Vasudeva
- Sri Soundara Narayana
- Sri Anirudha
- Sri Orandi Amman Temple near Police Station
- Siva Vishnu Temple located in Vijaya Nagar.
- Sri Soundarya Perumal Temple located at the rear side of 100 ft Bye-pass Road.
- Thiruveedi Amman Temple located near Gandhi Road.
- Shri Sidhi Vinayagar Temple located near Guru Nanak college.
- Papathi Karumariyamman Temple, Dr.Ambedkar Nagar, West Velachery,
- Muthumariamman Temple, Dr.Ambedkar Nagar, West Velachery.
- Throupathi Amman Temple in Jaganathpurum.
- Chelliamman Temple in Velachery Main Road.
- Ayyappa Temple in 100 Feet Road.
- Guruvayoorappan Temple in Dhandeeswaram.
Churches
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church located at Dhandeeswaram Nagar known to be a largest Church in Velachery
- Advent Church located in Gandhi Salai it is oldest church in Velachery and has completed 125 years.
- CSI Church located at Gandhi road is famous and the oldest one.
- Apostolic Faith Church "in Dr Ambetkar Nagar, Velachery west.
- Calvary Church located behind TCS lane telugu and English Service.
Masjids
- Masjid-e-Allah, near TCS.
- Masjid Hawwa, near Velachery lake.
- Masjid-e-Rizwan, near Checkpost.
- Masjid Elaahi, Gandhi Road Junction.
See also
References
- ^ "Chennai retail report". Cushman & Wakefield. Retrieved 3rd Quarter 2011.
- ^ "Two satellite mofussil bus terminuses planned". The Hindu. Retrieved 20112-08-06.
- ^ "Chennai Beach - Velachery Train timings". The Hindu.
- ^ "New hotels beckon the business class". The Hindu. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ "The Westin, Chennai, Velachery". The Starwoods hotels and resorts. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ "The ITC Grand Chola, Chennai". The ITC Grand Chola. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ "The Park Hyatt, Chennai". The Park Hyatt. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ "Velachery Emerges As a Key Locality In South Chennai". Indian Real Estate Market. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
- ^ "Last mile MRTS link likely to redefine train travel in city". Magic Bricks. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Taramani link road to turn six-lane, work already on". The Times of India. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "Velachery junction to get 2 flyovers". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
- ^ "Work on twin flyovers in Velachery to begin soon". The Times of India. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
- ^ "Velachery lake to be developed into tourist spot". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Velachery Lake in for major facelift, water hyacinths cleared". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
- ^ "Hope dawns for Velachery Lake". The Hindu. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ "Debut-making Velachery witnesses three-cornered contest". The Hindu. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ http://www.tcs.com/Pages/default.aspx
- ^ http://www.sutherlandglobal.com/
- ^ "Velachery emerges as a key locality in South Chennai". Magic Bricks. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
- ^ "Phoenix Market City In Chennai". Chennai. The Hindu. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
External links
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