The Mumbai-based Hiranandani Group is preparing to launch a significant new investment drive in Tamil Nadu, with a strategic focus on the Oragadam region. The real estate developer plans to channel over ₹1,000 crore into the state across its three core business verticals: integrated townships, industrial parks, and modern warehousing.
Oragadam: The Emerging Tri-Modal Powerhouse
Niranjan Hiranandani, Chairman and Managing Director of the group, highlighted Oragadam's remarkable transformation. The area, once known primarily as an automotive belt, has diversified into a robust industrial hub. This growth is fueled by India's strong GDP performance and Tamil Nadu's established manufacturing prowess.
He emphasized the region's superior tri-modal connectivity by road, port, and airport. Upcoming highway projects, enhanced port links, and proximity to both the existing and new airports have solidified Oragadam's logistical advantages. This infrastructure has already attracted manufacturing, windmill production, and allied sectors.
The group is actively evaluating partnerships around Chennai, including joint ventures and development-manager models with landowners. "We have executed large JV projects in Maharashtra. Chennai is on our radar for similar collaborations," stated Hiranandani.
Next-Gen Warehousing and the Township Model
A major portion of the fresh capital will flow into the warehousing sector, one of the fastest-growing segments since GST implementation. The group plans major investments in AI-enabled Grade-A facilities. Hiranandani explained the shift: "Earlier, warehousing was labour-intensive. Now everything—from design to movement—is AI-modelled. The next generation will be partly automated."
He connected this to national competitiveness, noting that India's logistics costs account for about 13% of goods' value, compared to China's 7%. As multimodal connectivity expands, this gap is expected to narrow. "Even halving the gap adds 6% profitability at a macro level. That's transformative," he added.
Concurrently, the group is expanding its successful integrated township model in Oragadam. This model, inspired by its Powai and Thane developments, offers a complete ecosystem: land, approvals, built-to-suit factories, warehousing, housing for workers and executives, hospitals, schools, and community spaces. The group has also introduced a premium senior-living segment here.
Their flagship project, Hiranandani Parks, is a 400-acre integrated sports township near Oragadam junction. It already houses over 750 families and features extensive amenities, including a golf course, cricket ground, and equestrian centre. Within this campus, 190 acres are dedicated to warehousing.
Future Prospects and a Critical Challenge
Hiranandani is bullish on Tamil Nadu's future, driven by emerging sectors like electric vehicles (EVs), electronics, data centres, and renewable energy. He pointed out that industrial clusters create a powerful "inertia," concentrating suppliers, workers, and technology, which makes relocation difficult and sustains growth.
However, he issued a stark warning about a major impediment: a deepening skilled-worker shortage. India currently faces a shortage of about 2 million construction workers, a figure that could balloon to 5 million by 2030 without rapid skilling initiatives.
"Jobs exist, but we are not creating enough skilled workers to fill them," Hiranandani said. He noted that a skilled worker earns nearly four times more than an unskilled one, and this training gap is widening income inequality. This shortage could threaten growth momentum in key manufacturing corridors like Oragadam.
The Hiranandani Group has already invested approximately ₹4,000 crore cumulatively in the Oragadam region. With this new ₹1,000+ crore commitment, the group is betting on the region's continued upcycle and its evolution into a diversified economic engine for Tamil Nadu.
