The Hindu       16.12.2011

LPA to have a relook at Coimbatore Master Plan

The Local Planning Authority will have a relook at the Coimbatore Master Plan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development K. Phanindra Reddy told presspersons here on Thursday.

The revised Master Plan for the city had already looked at growth suggestions. However, there were some inconsistencies. In order to take the growth suggestions to a logical conclusion, the latest population data, growth trends, and land use patterns would be taken into consideration. The relook exercise would be completed in three months, he said.

(The Coimbatore Master Plan was approved in 1992. It was taken up for review recently and the State Government gave its review consent in January this year. After that, the plan was opened for the public to submit their objections and modifications for two months. The Authority had received nearly 3,000 applications for modifications or objections to the reviewed Master Plan).

Director of Town and Country Planning A. Karthik, Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board V. Chandrasekaran, and the secretary reviewed several project proposals here on Thursday at a meeting with Coimbatore District Collector M. Karunagaran, and Corporation Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy. Several infrastructure projects proposed to decongest the city and improve infrastructure were also discussed at the meeting.

Regarding the tenements constructed at Ammankulam, he said the works would be completed in three months. The foundation strengthening works were over. The technical committee had suggested after scrutiny that one or two units should be demolished in six to seven blocks so that the load was reduced. There would be 792 units at Ammankulam when the works were over.

(Coimbatore Corporation constructed 1,608 flats at Ammankulam with Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission funds. The project was executed by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board. In 2010, apartment ‘2B” sunk by 50 cm and ‘4B' by 25 cm).