Coimbatore's wait for its new master plan will extend for a few more months. District authorities have stated that the final draft, which will outline the city's development roadmap, is expected to be ready by January 2025. The Local Planning Authority (LPA) officials revealed that they received over 3,000 objections and suggestions for the draft master plan. We are meticulously scrutinising each petition submitted by stakeholders, including the public. This process will take approximately two months. Once completed, we will incorporate relevant suggestions and forward the revised master plan to the Directorate of Town and Country Planning for final review. Overall, it will take four to five months, explained a senior LPA official. The two-volume, 600-page draft master plan, released in February this year, covers various aspects of the city's future, including population projections, water and electricity needs, housing requirements, road infrastructure, and industrial growth. The document also includes recommendations to address many of the city's current issues and suggestions for the state government to consider in greater detail. Feedback on the draft plan was invited until May 15. Despite the deadline passing two months ago, the final draft has yet to be completed. Gugan Ilango, President, Confederation- Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) in Coimbatore, urged the state government to expedite the publication of the final master plan. The master plan is essential for the city's development, and progress will only commence once it is finalised. Officials noted that the volume of petitions received far exceeded expectations, comparing it to feedback for master plans of other cities. A significant number of petitions came from Sulur and Annur taluks in rural Coimbatore, requesting the reclassification of agricultural lands for residential, commercial, and industrial use. Officials suspect that housing promoters might be behind these petitions, aiming to convert farmlands into real estate. We are carefully examining the applications to determine whether they were submitted by landowners or real estate promoters, the official added. Field inspections are also being conducted to verify the validity of the requests. Following this detailed verification, the master plan with modifications will be sent to the Directorate of Town and Country Planning in Chennai, with the final master plan expected to be released four to five months later. (Source: ET)