Coimbatore needs Better Infrastructure

Ask anybody - a visitor or a local citizen - what the city needs, and little doubt, the unanimous response will be better infrastructure.

Signboards


Good and clean roads, underground cables and sewage systems, more signboards, to name a few. A city that enables hassle-free daily life is what one craves for.

Coimbatore may have met the requirements of its residents and visitors till a couple of years ago.

Needs up


But the needs, especially with regard to roads, have gone up manifold now. Bursting industrial activity, growing population and the increasing number of vehicles are the reasons. And, these are only set to go up in the coming years.

Expansion
Let us consider Avanashi Road for instance. With the city expanding beyond its boundaries on this stretch, we have any number of schools, colleges, textile mills, commercial complexes and hospitals.

Airport


With the airport too located just off the main Avanashi Road and the Information Technology park planned in Peelamedu, this road is today the busiest in the city.

So, for a visitor who comes by flight, it easily takes over 20 minutes to reach the city from the airport.

Study


The Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone, commissioned a study in 2005 to make Avanashi Road world-class.

The Rs. 20-lakh study went into the details of the pedestrian and vehicle use, and suggested a Rs. 130-crore project with six lanes, underground cables and flyovers.

This was to ensure a smooth ride for the vehicles without stopping for any signal for 16 km from the Neelambur bypass.

Release


Almost 10 months since the release of the study, indications are that widening of the road to make it six-lane will be taken up initially.

The Mettupalayam Road, another major entry point to the city, is yet to see any such concrete effort for its improvement.

Meanwhile, associations such as Residents' Awareness Association of Coimbatore have been pointing out that with more apartments coming up in the city, access roads should be at least 40 feet wide, giving enough room for footpaths and trees on either side.

Data


The RAAC has collected data of several apartments that have bad access roads, adding to congestion and traffic snarls.

It seeks rules that will ensure that apartments come up only in areas that have wide access roads.

Traffic


In some places, though the road may be 40 feet, there are no footpaths. Vehicular traffic is high in peak hours, and pedestrians are forced to use the road too, says a RAAC representative. So it is not just main roads but also those within the city that demand attention. And, with inevitable growth, the need for infrastructure projects gains importance.

Problems


Meanwhile, as the city continues to suffer from traffic problems and bad roads, the Corporation is in the process of finalising a consultant to study and suggest a comprehensive traffic and transportation system for the city.

Transportation


The local body plans to spend roughly Rs. 700 crore on transportation systems under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

What it takes
Proposal to make Avanashi Road six-lane
Coimbatore Corporation plans comprehensive study
RAAC seeks wide roads in residential areas too



Source: The Hindu