Tamil Nadu is pushing for a dedicated Global Capability Centre (GCC) corridor in Chennai to accommodate the city’s expanding tech and corporate landscape. The proposed corridor will cover important sections such as OMR, Pallavam-Thoraipakkam Radial Road and Mount-Poonamallee Road, which will have a higher development potential and infrastructure upgrades to cater to future growth.
Chennai GCC Corridor
Tamil Nadu Global Capability Centres Corridor and Development Programme is designed to promote the large scale spread of the GCCs in Chennai with the objective of supporting the development along the three identified business corridors in Chennai; Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road, Mount-Poonamallee High Road and OMR. The programme offers the opportunity to improve common and shared infrastructure on these stretches, and to offer increased FSI for eligible GCC campuses, resulting in an increase of office space.
The Three GCC Corridors
OMR (Rajiv Gandhi Salai): Prime IT corridor of Chennai which stretches from Madhya Kailash in south-east Chennai to Mahabalipuram/ECR junction. The entire road is approximately 45 km which runs through the important employment centres like Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Navalur and Kelambakkam. The identified stretch for the current urban mobility plan is between Madhya Kailash and Kelambakkam (25 km).
Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road: The road links GST Road at Pallavaram with OMR at Thoraipakkam and provides a vital east-west corridor between the Airport and GST side areas and the IT corridor of Chennai. It is approximately 10 to 14 km long (depending on the stretch) and the latest mobility proposal is for 7.4 km between Pallavaram Bridge and Thoraipakkam Junction.
Mount-Poonamallee High Road: An arterial road from the Kathipara/St Thomas Mount side passing through the villages of Nandambakkam, Manapakkam and Porur to reach Poonamallee. The main Mount-Poonamallee Road is approximately 11 km and the area has become a key commercial and IT corridor, with projects like the DLF IT Park and other office developments in and around Porur and Nandambakkam.
Higher FSI to support expansion in the GCCs
A key feature of the programme is the proposal to provide enhanced Floor Space Index (FSI) in eligible campuses in the GCC region along the identified corridors. Improvements in FSI would enable companies to build additional office space within their land parcels, providing extra space for future office growth and additional campus buildings. The shift is especially noteworthy given Chennai’s existing strong presence of the GCC community, which has seen addition of 94,000 jobs by GCC nationals in 2023-24, as per Tamil Nadu government data.
The infrastructure aspect is especially critical, since higher office density means higher demands for roads, public transport, water supply, sewage and drainage, electricity, and digital infrastructure facilities. The average land price in these areas is ₹5,000-10,500 per sq. ft, and average 2bhk rent is ₹18,000- 45,000 per month.
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Impact on OMR, Radial Road and Mount-Poonamallee Road
The three stretches identified may become more significant for business in the growing ecosystem of Chennai’s GCC in the future. Future large projects of corporate development could be accommodated in OMR, a prominent IT/office corridor, and the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road and Mount-Poonamallee High Road, which could benefit from additional office spaces and supporting infrastructure. The concentration of companies and employees along these corridors will in turn also likely create greater demand for housing, retail, hospitality and other services in the surrounding areas, further establishing them as the major employment hubs in the city.
Conclusion
The Chennai GCC Corridor may help the roads from OMR to Radial Road and Mount-Poonamallee to become even better business and job centers. This plan will help provide more space for expansion by the GCC firms and will also help to draw investment and continue to contribute to the city’s development as a capability centre hub.