Krishnarajapura, known as K. R. Puram, is a suburban area in the city of Bengaluru. This area is a place of importance considering the history it boasts of. The Krishnarajapuram market is very famous and finds a place in the history of Bengaluru. The weekly market, which is called the santhe, used to take place here in the 4 acres of land dedicated to this activity. This land is still being used as a market and is now a daily affair attracting a lot of people from in and around the city.
K.R. Puram is surrounded by Mallasandra to the east, Avalahalli to the north, Ramamurthy Nagar to the west, and Whitefield to the south. Despite being known for the big market, the area is very peaceful and naturally appealing because of the existence of greenery and the lakes in the vicinity. The Vengayyana Lake is situated right in the centre of this locality. Whereas one of Bengalurus largest lakes, the Yelemallappa Shetty Lake, is located towards the eastern limits of K. R. Puram.
Since K. R. Puram has amazing connectivity and accessibility to the Outer Ring Road and the Old Madras Road, the area is ideal to set up your home or a commercial space. The presence of the K. R. Puram Railway Station is another big factor that works in favour of this locality. Commute to other major cities in or around the state is easy. The airport is situated around 40 km from K. R. Puram, and is easily accessible through exclusive Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) AC and non-AC buses, which stop in this locality.
Factors for growth in the past
The strategic location of K. R. Puram at the intersection of the Outer Ring Road and the Old Madras Road has been a silver lining for the people here. The brilliant connectivity this place has to all other localities of Bengaluru favoured the commercial growth in this area immensely. The undertakings of K. R. Puram come under the jurisdiction of the BDA, which helped them to have a good layout.
The presence of the K. R. Puram Railway Station made it convenient for many people to delve into various businesses. Farmers from villages could bring their produce here and sell it in the market directly. This initiative commercialised the area and attracted more commercial growth. The building of the cable bridge connecting K. R. Puram to Whitefield was a major development for this locality, which improved the connectivity to the IT parks. This helped in the progress of this area and reduced the traffic issues faced by the people.
Residential market analysis
The presence of IT parks in close vicinity is attracting more people to consider choosing K. R. Puram for residential purposes. Due to the availability of a homely atmosphere and accessibility of good facilities, the area is experiencing a rapid growth in the residential sector as well. With many employees working majorly in the Whitefield and ITPL area choosing to stay close by, K. R. Puram has benefited a lot.
The average sale price for a multi-storeyed apartments in K.R. Puram is Rs 3,250 per sq. ft and that for a residential house is Rs 5,400 per sq. ft.
Major challenges
The road below the hanging cable bridge at the K. R. Puram junction is very narrow considering that its an intersection for three roads. This has created a lot of traffic congestion issues in this area causing a lot of chaos and inconvenience. People traveling long distances to work get caught up in this bottleneck.
There are many water problems that have been reported in this area. The lakes are either drying up or are being encroached by the construction of new buildings. The people staying in this area have also been complaining about irregular water supply, despite having paid the BWSSB for water connections. To solve this, illegal borewells are being dug up on government roads.
K. R. Puram has also reported garbage issues and poor street lighting problems. Apart from these, there are some low-lying areas that get flooded during monsoon. Lots of stray dogs are also found in this area, creating nuisance for the residents.
Future prospects for growth
The stretch along the Outer Ring Road which includes K. R. Puram is about to witness high growth with respect to IT space. This would also influence the residential sector in this area. With more IT parks, more employees would prefer staying closer and hence, there will be more demand for residential projects.
At present, the stretch of the Outer Ring Road from Hebbal to K. R. Puram contributes 36% to the total Grade A office spaces. In the near future, the stretch from K.R. Puram to Marathahalli is expected to convert 17% of its IT space into a micro market.
The BDA is having talks with the railway authorities to acquire the land needed to widen the road under the bridge. This would make life much simpler for people in K.R. Puram and the commuters passing by the junction every day.