by Mr. Ruby Nakka, Co founder Executive Director of “The Hope House”.
Last weekend, I visited a friend in Chittoor, which is only 30+ KM from Vellore, and we discussed the new and exciting developments taking place in and around Chittoor, such as the new medical college that Christian Medical College (CMC) is building in its Chittoor campus in partnership with the Azim Premji Foundation.
While driving to Chittoor, I noticed a few under-construction overbridges along the road and asked my friend about them. What he told me completely blew me away. According to him, one of those bridges is part of the route for the bullet train between Chennai and Mysore, with a stop in Chittoor.
As soon as I got home, I searched for this information online, and lo and behold, it turned out to be true. This will be a 435 KM stretch running between Mysore and Chennai via Bangalore and Chittoor (though not through Katpadi). Only 73 KM of this stretch will run through Andhra Pradesh, while the remainder is shared between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The exciting part of this news is that the train will have a stop in Chittoor, and there will be an 11.8 KM-long tunnel in or around the area. Whether the bullet train station will be built underground or above ground is still unclear.
This is significant news for Katpadi/Vellore area residents, as the nearest bullet train station will be just 30 KM away. For now, it might connect this region to Chennai and Mysore (via Bangalore), but over time, the bullet train network is expected to extend beyond these two cities—potentially from Mysore up to Thiruvananthapuram and from Chennai up to New Delhi. This means residents of Vellore Ranipet Zone (#VRZ) will have access to the extended bullet train network throughout the country.
But the most exciting news is the overall development of Chittoor in terms of transportation and healthcare. In addition to the bullet train, Chittoor will serve as an entry and exit point for two access-controlled expressways (Chennai–Bangalore and Chittoor–Thatchur). The town will have a 6-lane national highway (NH 40) and state highway (SH 502) connecting Vellore and Chennai, which makes it an ideal transportation hub for the region, including the Vellore-Ranipet Zone.
In terms of healthcare, CMC’s new medical college, along with the increase in the number of beds from 120 to 422, and Apollo establishing its medical college and the Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research just north of Chittoor positions the district headquarters as an ideal location for promoting medical tourism.
With four airports nearby (Chennai, Bangalore, Tirupati, and the upcoming airport at Vellore), constructing an exclusive airport in Chittoor may not be viable. However, building a state-run helipad or drone port for public use could be a valuable addition to promote the region as a medical tourism destination.
Taking advantage of these developments, real estate and IT companies should explore building high-end resorts for recuperating elective procedure patients. The concept of people commuting from Mysore or Chennai to work in the Chittoor/Katpadi area in the morning, and returning home in the evening, is entirely feasible.
I am convinced that with these developments, the Katpadi/Chittoor area, and the Vellore Ranipet Zone, is poised for explosive economic development. Those with foresight will reap the benefits, while others will enjoy traveling to Chennai, Bangalore, or Mysore in about 20 to 40 minutes. I can’t wait for those days!
#VRZ #Chittoor #Vellore #VelloreRanipetZone #BulletTrain #Chennai #Mysore #Bangalore #CMCChittoor #AzimPremjiFoundation #NationalHighway #StateHighway #MedicalTourism #ApolloHospital #Infrastructure
Mr. Ruby Nakka is a resident of Vellore. He co-founded an NGO called “The Hope House” in Vellore that works exclusively with children that needs care and protection. Currently he works as an Executive Director of the Hope House.
He enjoys writing about solutions for social challenges through market place interventions. He also enjoys doing career counselling to youngsters based on the market dynamics. He loves reading and watching news, playing chess and spending time posing general knowledge questions on his whatsapp status every day.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. Readers are encouraged to consider the information presented and form their own opinions.
