The revised Master Plan for Coimbatore is expected to be released in 12 to 18 months, District Collector G.S. Sameeran said here on Friday.
At a consultation meeting on the Master Plan, the Collector said the plan document would look at requirements of Coimbatore in 2031 and 2041. The plan should reflect the aspirations of the industry and the growth of different sectors. The development of the urban conglomeration should be in the right way. The vision is to develop Coimbatore to be the economic capital of the State or even south India, he said.
He told The Hindu that following the first consultative meeting held on Friday, committees would be formed for every sector and there would be a panel of urban planners too. Meetings would be held regularly to incorporate suggestions from all sectors. “This will not be just a land use document. It will be a holistic plan looking at the requirements of Coimbatore for the next 30 years,” he said. At present, the proposals were based on the suggestions from different stakeholders. These would be studied and finalised.
At a presentation made on the proposed Master Plan, it was pointed out that the Coimbatore’s strengths were its industries and institutions and its weaknesses were depleting ground water level and poor services in the fringe areas. The opportunities lay in sectors such as renewable energy and tourism. It would be a holistic plan that would cover areas such as transport, agriculture, education, etc.
Coimbatore is expected to come under the large town category by 2031. The draft Plan envisions setting up of a logistics park on 45 acres, a cricket stadium and explore the possibility of developing satellite towns. There are proposals to have non-motorised transport, city rail, and ring roads. A Defence industrial township is on the cards on 400 acres. The consultations will continue, the officials said.
