Coimbatore Master Plan
Coimbatore’s master plan was last revised over a decade ago. Since then, the city has undergone many changes, mostly in terms of development and expansion. Though a revised draft was prepared a year ago, it awaits Government approval for it to take effect. According to G. Soundararajan, vice-president of the Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore, with the old master plan still in use, thousands of applications are awaiting Government approval for land use conversion.With growing demands and changing development patterns, individuals go in for conversion of land use for their needs.
“The city’s growth will get affected if the master plan is not revised at the earliest,” he says, commenting on the prevailing situation. Mr. Soundararajan explains that in earlier years there used to be huge concentration of a particular sector, such as housing or industries, in a specific area of the city. However, now the trend was to have integrated townships.This had the effect of reducing the travelling distance between workplace, home and commercial establishments for people who had made the city their home.
Development control rules and land use conversion are some of the main components of the master plan for Coimbatore.The plan also provides guidance on what sort of development should happen in an area according to the natural growth pattern of the specified locality. Without the revised master plan, the city will have unplanned growth, he says.K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, says the purpose of modifying the master plan is to take into account the current growth situation.When postponing it, the old plan is followed that is not in tandem with the current development trends. In cities such as Coimbatore, where planning is at a rapid pace, local planning and development decisions should be faster.This will ensure that existing public are not affected and future development is planned.
