Government of India

Smart Cities Mission

Ministry of Urban Development

Smart cities challenge

Smart Cities Challenge

City-wide Concept Plan for Coimbatore

October 2015

Coimbatore Municipal Corporation

Government of Tamil Nadu

Contents
1.

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.

2.

SMART CITIES MISSION ............................................................................................................................... 1

APPROACH TO SMART CITIES CHALLENGE - STAGE 2 ......................................................................................... 1
APPROACH FOR PREPARATION OF CITY-WIDE CONCEPT PLAN.............................................................................. 2
SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ..................................................................................................... 4

CITY BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 5

2.1.
CITY OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1.1.
Regional Setting ........................................................................................................................... 5
2.1.2.
Location and Connectivity ............................................................................................................ 5
2.2.
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................................ 6
2.2.1.
Coimbatore Municipal Corporation .............................................................................................. 6
2.2.2.
Departments and Agencies of Government of Tamil Nadu .......................................................... 7
2.3.
LAND-USE ................................................................................................................................................. 9
2.4.
DEMOGRAPHICS....................................................................................................................................... 10
2.4.1.
Population trends and projections.............................................................................................. 10
2.4.2.
Social indicators .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.5.
ECONOMIC BASE AND GROWTH DRIVERS ....................................................................................................... 11

3.

BASELINE ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 13

3.1.
WATER, SANITATION, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................ 13
3.1.1.
Water Supply .............................................................................................................................. 13
3.1.2.
Sewerage and Access to Toilets .................................................................................................. 15
3.1.3.
Municipal Solid Waste ................................................................................................................ 16
3.1.4.
Water ways, water bodies and drains ........................................................................................ 17
3.1.5.
Energy ......................................................................................................................................... 19
3.2.
MOBILITY, STREET LIGHTING AND OPEN SPACES ............................................................................................. 21
3.2.1.
City Mobility ............................................................................................................................... 21
3.2.2.
Parks and Open spaces ............................................................................................................... 26
3.3.
HOUSING, INCLUSION AND SECURITY ........................................................................................................... 27
3.3.1.
Urban Poor ................................................................................................................................. 27
3.3.2.
Education .................................................................................................................................... 27
3.3.3.
Healthcare .................................................................................................................................. 28
3.4.
E-GOVERNANCE AND CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT ................................................................................................. 29
3.4.1.
Civic Services to the Citizens ....................................................................................................... 29
3.4.2.
Grievance Redressal system ....................................................................................................... 29
3.4.3.
Vehicle tracking system .............................................................................................................. 30
3.4.4.
E-tendering/ E-auction ............................................................................................................... 30
3.4.5.
Citizen engagement through Unified Communication System ................................................... 30
3.4.6.
Key issues/ gaps and suggestions ............................................................................................... 31
3.5.
SELF-ASSESSMENT SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 32

4.

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT .......................................................................................................................... 36

4.1.
4.2.

ROUND 1 CONSULTATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 36

FACE TO FACE MEETINGS ........................................................................................................................... 37

4.3.
4.4.
4.5.
5.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MYGOV ...................................................................................................................... 38

COVERAGE IN PRINT, TELEVISION AND RADIO ................................................................................................ 38
CONTESTS AND POLLS................................................................................................................................ 38

VISION, GOALS AND STRATEGIC PLAN ................................................................................................... 39

5.1.
APPROACH TO VISION FORMULATION........................................................................................................... 39
5.1.1.
Review Vision, Goals, Strategies identified under recent planning exercises ............................. 39
5.1.2.
Findings from Baseline assessment and a summary of key priorities ........................................ 41
5.1.3.
Reflections and Aspirations of Stakeholders .............................................................................. 43
5.2.
VISION FOR COIMBATORE .......................................................................................................................... 45
5.2.1.
Vision Statement ........................................................................................................................ 45
5.2.2.
Core Themes underlying the Vision ............................................................................................ 45
5.3.
PRIORITY GOALS AND STRATEGIES ............................................................................................................... 46
5.3.1.
Vision Theme III Vibrant Economy ............................................................................................ 46
5.3.2.
Vision Theme IV Sustainable Environment .............................................................................. 46
5.3.3.
Vision Theme II Efficient Transit Orientation ........................................................................... 47
5.3.4.
Vision Theme I Best in Class Civic Services ............................................................................... 47
5.3.5.
Vision Theme V Citizen centric Technology-enabled Governance ........................................... 48

6.

COMPONENTS OF SMART CITY PROPOSAL ............................................................................................ 49

6.1.
PAN CITY INITIATIVE GUIDELINES UNDER SMART CITIES MISSION .................................................................... 49
6.2.
PAN-CITY INITIATIVE - INITIAL IDEAS ............................................................................................................. 50
6.2.1.
Addressing Infrastructure gaps and incorporating Smart Solutions city wide ........................... 50
6.2.2.
Initial Ideas Stand-along smart solution implementation ....................................................... 51
6.2.3.
Criteria for selection ................................................................................................................... 51
6.3.
AREA DEVELOPMENT PLAN ......................................................................................................................... 52
6.3.1.
Guidelines ................................................................................................................................... 52
6.3.2.
Pros and Cons of various development options .......................................................................... 52
6.3.3.
Initial Preferences ....................................................................................................................... 53
6.3.4.
Criteria ........................................................................................................................................ 53

Exhibits
EXHIBIT 1.1APPROACH TO SMART CITIES CHALLENGE STAGE 2 .......................................................................................... 1
EXHIBIT 1.2 APPROACH TO SMART CITIES CHALLENGE STAGE 2 ......................................................................................... 3
EXHIBIT 1.3CITY BASELINE: FRAMEWORK FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................... 3
EXHIBIT 2.1CCMC REGIONAL SETTING ......................................................................................................................... 5
EXHIBIT 2.2CCMC CONNECTIVITY ............................................................................................................................... 6
EXHIBIT 2.3 CCMC - AREAS ADDED DURING EXPANSION..................................................................................................... 6
EXHIBIT 2.4 FAGENCIES INVOLVED IN POLICY, PLANNING AND PROVISION OF SERVICES IN COIMBATORE........................................ 7
EXHIBIT 2.5LAND-USE OF ERSTWHILE COIMBATORE CITY- 2002 VS. 2021............................................................................ 9
EXHIBIT 2.6 CCMC - POPULATION DETAILS .................................................................................................................... 10
EXHIBIT 2.7 CCMC - POPULATION TRENDS .................................................................................................................... 10
EXHIBIT 2.8 CCMC - POPULATION PROJECTION .............................................................................................................. 11
EXHIBIT 3.1 WATER SUPPLY GAP ANALYSIS: PREVAILING INFRASTRUCTURE/SERVICES VS. DEMAND .......................................... 13
EXHIBIT 3.2 WATER SUPPLY: SERVICE LEVELS VS. BENCHMARKS ......................................................................................... 13
EXHIBIT 3.3 SEWERAGE GAP ANALYSIS: PREVAILING INFRASTRUCTURE/SERVICES VS. DEMAND ................................................ 15
EXHIBIT 3.4 SEWERAGE: SERVICE LEVELS VS BENCHMARKS ................................................................................................ 15
EXHIBIT 3.5 MSW GAP ANALYSIS: PREVAILING INFRASTRUCTURE/SERVICES VS. DEMAND ...................................................... 16
EXHIBIT 3.6 MSW: SERVICE LEVELS VS. BENCHMARKS ..................................................................................................... 17
EXHIBIT 3.7 LIST OF NATURAL DRAINS ............................................................................................................................ 18
EXHIBIT 3.8 DRAIN NETWORK AND SERVICE LEVELS .......................................................................................................... 19
EXHIBIT 3.10STREETLIGHTS- EXISTING DETAILS................................................................................................................ 19
EXHIBIT 3.11STREETLIGHTS- DEMAND AND GAP ............................................................................................................. 20
EXHIBIT 3.12ARTERIAL ROAD NETWORK IN COIMBATORE .................................................................................................. 21
EXHIBIT 3.13 MOBILITY: PROPOSALS AND INITIATIVES IDENTIFIED UNDER CM ....................................................................... 25
EXHIBIT 3.14 PROPOSED MASS TRANSPORT CORRIDORS .................................................................................................. 26
EXHIBIT 3.15PARKS IN CMC ....................................................................................................................................... 26
EXHIBIT 3.16 SLUMS IN COIMBATORE ........................................................................................................................... 27
EXHIBIT 3.17 EDUCATION FACILITIES IN COIMBATORE ...................................................................................................... 28
EXHIBIT 3.18 HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE IN COIMBATORE CITY ........................................................................................... 28
EXHIBIT 4.1 SCP CONSULTATIONS APPROACH ................................................................................................................. 36
EXHIBIT 4.2 SCP CONSULTATIONS STAKEHOLDERS COVERED ........................................................................................... 37
EXHIBIT 4.3 ESSAY WRITING CONTEST........................................................................................................................... 38
EXHIBIT 5.1 THEMES UNDERLYING COIMBATORES VISION ................................................................................................. 45
EXHIBIT 6.1 ILLUSTRATIVE SMART CITY SOLUTIONS .......................................................................................................... 49
EXHIBIT 6.2 AREA DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS: PROS AND CONS............................................................................................. 53

1.

Introduction

1.1. Smart Cities Mission

The Smart Cities Mission is a Centrally Sponsored Program of Government of India (GoI) under the
Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD). Under this Mission, GoI envisaged support 100 cities with an
outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore with a matching grant from State Governments/Urban Local Bodies. Its
duration will be five years from 2015-16 to 2019-20. The support under the Smart Cities Mission is
envisaged through a Smart Cities Challenge under two stages: Stage 1 (Shortlisting of cities by
States) has completed, following which 12 cities from Tamil Nadu have been selected. In the Stage 2
Challenge(the Challenge round for selection), the shortlisted cities from all States have to submit a
Smart City Proposal (SCP) to compete with each other at the National level. 20 cities that fare best in
this competition would be selected for funding during 2015-16. The other cities will get a chance to
improve their proposals and be eligible to participate in challenge round during the next financial year.
In Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Finance Development Corporation (TUFIDCO) is
the nodal agency of the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) steering the Smart Cities Mission.
Following the first stage challenge, twelve cities have been shortlisted in Tamil Nadu under the Smart
Cities Mission. Coimbatore is one of the cities selected from Tamil Nadu following the Stage I
challenge. As its Local Government and Urban Local Body, the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation
(CMC) is steering the task of preparing the Smart City Proposal and along with TUFIDCO retained
ICRA Management Consulting Services Limited (IMaCS) for assistance in participating in the Smart
Cities Challenge. This document covers the City-Wide Concept Plan for Coimbatore city and details
the approach, findings from baseline assessment and articulates the City Vision, Goals and Strategy.

1.2. Approach to Smart Cities Challenge - Stage 2

Exhibit 1.1 below provides a snapshot of the steps followed by CMC towards participation in the
Smart Cities challenge, in accordance with the Smart Cities Mission guidelines issued by MOUD.
Exhibit 1.1Approach to Smart Cities Challenge Stage 2

Step 1 Prepare City-wide

Concept Plan

City Baseline Assessment

Round I Consultations

Step 2 Generate Options

for Pan City initiative(s)
and Area based proposal

Step 3 Finalize / Submit

Smart City Proposal

Round II Consultations

Local Body approvals

Options for Pan-city

State Review and Approvals

Ideas for Area-

Finalise Smart City Proposal

Development Proposal

Round III Consultations for

Face-to-Face interactions

Use of Social Media / MyGov

Contests and Polls

Prioritization

Smart City Concept Plan

Implementation framework

Fit with MOUD guidelines

City Vision, Goals, Strategy

dissemination

15 Sep 15

15 Oct 15

15 Nov 15

30 Nov 15

Start date

City-wide Concept Plan

Draft SCP

Final SCP

In line with the Smart City guidelines, CMCs process for preparing the Smart City Proposal covers
preparation and submission of the following deliverables:
1. A Smart City Concept Plan that captures the Citys Vision, Goals and Strategy based on a
baseline assessment and as appropriate to its local context, resources and level of ambition.
2. A Smart City Proposal that would cover
a. A Pan City proposal that articulates specific city wide initiatives in the areas of city
governance, infrastructure and services through deployment of smart solutions that help
create positive impact and improvements in a relatively short time frame and
b. An Area based proposal that incorporates identifies an area within the city as an appropriate
site for one of the three typologies of development namely greenfield, re-development or
retrofitting.
CCMC has initiated a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement plan in September 2015. CCMCs
consultations seek to involve all stakeholder groups including Elected Representatives, Citizens &
Civil Society, Trade & Industry and City Administration through a combination of Face-to-Face
interactions, Social media & Internet and traditional media covering Print, Television and Radio.
Contests and Polls to generate wider enthusiasm and participation have also been planned as part of
the consultative process for this exercise.
The Consultations are being organised under three rounds:

Round 1 Consultations have focused on engaging citizens and stakeholder to crystallise the
City Vision, Goals and Strategy towards finalising the City-wide Concept Plan and to draw initial
views on area development proposals and pan city initiatives.

Round 2 Consultations would focus on engaging citizens and stakeholders on possible options
for Area Development proposals and pan-city initiatives and to enable crystallising the priority
initiatives that need to be incorporated as part of CMCs Smart City Proposal

Round 3 Dissemination would use various media and social media platforms to disseminate
among stakeholders the initiatives reflected in CMCs Smart City Proposal.

Scope and inputs from Round I consultations are detailed under Chapter 4 Citizen Engagement.

1.3. Approach for preparation of City-wide Concept Plan

The first deliverable in the Stage 2 of the Smart Cities Challenge is the City wide Concept Plan which
encompasses finalisation of the City Vision, Goals and Strategy. Exhibit 1.2 captures the approach for
preparation of the City-wide concept plan which essentially involved three steps as described below:
1. Baseline assessment: The baseline assessment covered a situation analysis and a review of
previous plans including the recently prepared City Development Plan and City Mobility Plan of
CMC. The assessment also covered review of prevailing service levels and a gap analysis vis-vis benchmark norms. It also covered a comprehensive self-assessment on the 24 parameters
(and grouped under four thematic areas as shown in Exhibit 1.3) identified under the Smart City
guidelines.

Exhibit 1.2 Approach to Smart Cities Challenge Stage 2

Baseline assessment and

mapping

Consultations - Round I

Earlier studies and city maps

Ongoing / proposed initiatives / plans
Service levels / assessment indicators

Face-to-Face, Social Media/My Gov

Dissemination on Media / Website
MOUD guidelines

Formulate City Vision, Goals &

Strategies

Review Vision and Goals under earlier initiatives

Validate Vision themes and Priority Goals from Consultations
Crystallise Vision Statement, Values, Goals and Strategies

Exhibit 1.3City Baseline: Framework for Self-Assessment

Structure, Economy, Mobility

City Identity and culture

Economy and Employment
Mixed Use
Compactness
Walkability
Transport
Open Spaces

Watsan, Energy and Environment

Smart Solutions & IT-led delivery

Inclusion, Housing and Security

Housing and Inclusiveness

Education
Health
Safety and Security

Water Supply / Water Management

Waste-water Management
Waste management
Sanitation
Energy Supply / Source / Efficiency
Underground wiring
Air Quality

Citizen participation
IT connectivity
Intelligent Govt. Services

2. Round I Consultations: CMC undertook a comprehensive range of consultations covering faceto-face consultations, written submissions, print, radio & TV, online crowd sourcing of ideas and
polling (through internet and mobile). The consultations covered the entire spectrum of
stakeholders including Elected Representatives, City Administration (including line departments of
GoTN), Public Stakeholders and representatives from Trade & Industry. Round I consultations are
expected to be concluded this week and has elicited very positive and wide response from all
sections of society and was well supported by large partner organisations including the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore district Small Industries Association
(CODISSIA), Siruthuli etc. and Educational Institutions in the city.
a. Face-to-face Meetings involved direct interactions with over 1000 participants and included
meetings with (i) Elected Council, (ii) Zonal town-halls (which elicited participation from over
300 members), (iii) Meeting with District Collector and Line Departments (attended by over
200 members) and (iv) Members of the Press/Media.

b. Written submissions from citizens and local associations/agencies through CMC zonal
offices and suggestion boxes at prominent locations in the city
c. Crowd sourcing through Face book, Twitter and MyGov.in
d. City Pulse polls both online and offline (including in local language)
e. Essay and Vision contests in Educational Institutions
f. Dissemination of updates and information on Smart Cities Challenge on social media
platforms, CMCs website, My Gov page and Print/TV media.
3. Review by GoTN and CMC and finalisation of City-wide concept plan: This City-wide
Concept Plan document reflects the City Vision, Priority Goals and Strategies, emerging from the
review of the city baseline and aspirations and ideas reflected in stakeholder views emerging from
Round I consultation. The findings were presented to CMC and GoTN during a review conducted
on 9 October 2015 and the feedback from this review has been duly incorporated in this
document.

1.4. Scope and contents of this document

This document covers the City-wide Concept Plan for Coimbatore city and is organised along the
following sections:

Section 1 Introduction (this section) covers the background to this exercise and details the
approach adopted by CMC in preparing this City-wide concept plan

Section 2 City background provides an overview of Coimbatore, discusses its institutional

framework, economic base/growth drivers and its demographic profile.

Section 3 Baseline Assessment presents findings from a review of prevailing service levels
and a gap analysis vis--vis benchmark norms across various services. It also reports key
performance indicators and provides a self-assessment on 24 parameters identified under the
GoIs Smart Cities guidelines provided post the regional workshops conducted by MOUD.

Section 4 Citizen Engagement details the methodology, level of engagement and findings from
Round I consultations undertaken by CMC.

Section 5 Vision, Goals and Strategic Plan articulates the Vision statement for Coimbatore
and identifies the priority goals and strategies for the City.

Section 6 Components of Smart City Proposal discusses the approach and initial views
emerging for the Smart City Proposal.

2.

City background

2.1. City overview

2.1.1. Regional Setting
Coimbatore, the second largest city in Tamil Nadu and the 15th largest urban agglomeration in India,
is located on the banks of Noyyal River. Spread over an area of 25.04 sq.km and with a population of
16.17 lakhs (as of Census 2011), Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of Coimbatore
district. The city is known as a major industrial and educational hub of South India.
Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) is the ULB under which urban services of Coimbatore
are managed. Coimbatore was managed under a municipality since 1866. Coimbatore was upgraded
from Special Grade Municipality to a Corporation in 1981. The city has 5 administrative zones; North,
South, East, West and Central with each zones sub-divided into 20 wards.
Exhibit 2.1CCMC Regional Setting

Source: CCMC

2.1.2. Location and Connectivity

The city is located at 495 km from Chennai in South-West direction and serves as an entry and exit
point to the neighbouring State of Kerala and the hill station of Udhagamandalam (Ooty)

Road: There are seven major arterial roads traversing the city; Avinashi road, Trichy road,
Satyamangalam roads, Mettupalayam road, Palakkad road, Pollachi and Marudhamalai road .
Three National Highways, NH 47, NH 67 and NH 209, pass through the city which connects the
city to other urban areas in the district and the State.

Rail: Coimbatore junction, the second highest revenue yielding station in the Southern Railways
division of Indian railways, is well connected to major Indian cities. It contributed to about 43.5%
to its divisional income. Coimbatore North Junction is another important railway junction in the
city apart from Coimbatore Junction and Podanur Junction. The other stations include
Peelamedu, Singanallur, Irugur, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai, Somanur and Sulur. In

addition, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway that goes up to the hill station or mountain resort at Ooty
has its lower terminus at Mettupalayam, a town very near Coimbatore.

Air: The city has an international airport at Peelamedu which is 11km from the city and has an
air-force base in Sulur at 15km. The airport caters to domestic flights to all major Indian cities and
international flights to Sharjah and Singapore.
Exhibit 2.2CCMC Connectivity

Source: City Development Plan

2.2. Institutional framework

2.2.1. Coimbatore Municipal Corporation
Coimbatore was constituted as a Municipality in the year 1866 and was elevated to the Corporation
status in the year 1981, the third in Tamil Nadu. In 2011, the corporation boundary was expanded
from 105.06 to 257.04 sq.km by merging 3 Municipalities, 7 Town panchayats and 1 Village
Panchayat. CCMC is divided into 5 zones (North, South, East, West and 100 wards for administrative
purpose. Refer Exhibit 2.3for a list of areas that were added to CCMC.
Exhibit 2.3 CCMC - Areas added during expansion
Category

No of ULBs

Municipalities

Town Panchayats

Village Panchayats

Names of ULBs
Kavundampalayam
municipality,
Kurichi
municipality,
Kuniamuthur municipality
Chinnavedampatti town panchayat, Kalapatti town panchayat,
Saravanampatti town panchayat, Vellakinar town panchayat,
Thudiyalur town panchayat, Vadavalli town panchayat,
Veerakeralam town panchayat
Vilankurichi village panchayat

2.2.2. Departments and Agencies of Government of Tamil Nadu

There are a number of agencies involved in the policy formulation and delivery of services other than
the Municipal Corporation. Refer Exhibit 2.4 for a list of departments and agencies engaged in
provisioning of core urban services of Coimbatore.
Exhibit 2.4 Agencies involved in policy, planning and provision of services in Coimbatore

MAWS

HUDD

DMA

TNHB

TWAD

TNSCB

Transport

TNSTC

PWD

Highways

Police

Traffic
Police

Electricity

TNEB

DTCP

Source: CCMC, GOTN, IMaCS analysis. Key: DMA= Directorate of Municipal Administration, TWAD=
Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, TNHB=Tamil Nadu Housing Board, TNSCB=Tamil Nadu
Slum Clearance Board, DTCP=Department of Town and Country Planning, TNSTC= Tamil Nadu State
Transport Corporation, PWD- Public Works Department, TNEB- Tamil Nadu Electricity Board

The key departments of GoTN involved in policy formulation and delivery of urban services include
the following:

The Municipal Administration and Water Supply department (MAWS) is the nodal
department responsible for Municipal Administration and Water Supply. The Coimbatore
Corporation function under the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA.

The Housing and Urban Development department (HUDD) is the nodal department
responsible for urban planning and housing. The Department of Town and Country Planning,
under the HUDD is responsible for master planning in urban areas in Tamil Nadu other than
ChMA.

The Highways and Ports department (DoH) is responsible for formulating polices laws,
regulations and various programs to improve roads, highways and bridges for land transport and
ports for sea transport.

The Transport department is the nodal department for public transport. The bus transport
undertakings of Coimbatore come under the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC). It
is also the Nodal Agency of the State Government in respect of projects implemented by the
Southern Railway and the Civil Aviation of the Government of India.

The Public Works department (PWD) formed in 1858 is in charge of public sector works in the
State of Tamil Nadu. The department functioned under the control of Secretary to GoTN and
deals with policy making on all matters concerning the Building organizations and Water
Resources Organization. It is entrusted with the construction and maintenance of buildings for
most of government departments and public undertakings, and the construction of bridges, roads
and infrastructure.

The Department of Environment (DoE) is the nodal department responsible for planning,
promotion, coordination and overseeing implementation aspects relating to Environment, other
than those dealt with by TNPCB.

Other than these the following are also involved in provision of critical services to CMC.

Coimbatore Traffic Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency
in Coimbatore Corporation which is headed by Commissioner of Police and administrative control
vests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry.

Department of Energy (Tamil Nadu) is one of the Governments of Tamil Nadu dealing with the
energy problems in the State. There are separate undertakings & Bodies for electricity
generation& distribution and transmissions such as TNEB Limited, Tamil Nadu Generation and
Distribution Corporation Limited and Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited.

Education: Department of School Education (Tamil Nadu) is one of the Governments of

Tamil Nadu which formulates policies, laws, regulations and various programs based on the
needs of the society in the field of School education in Tamil Nadu. The levels of schooling taken
care by them are elementary, Middle, Secondary and Higher Secondary in the State of Tamil
Nadu.

Department of Higher Education (Tamil Nadu) formulates policies, laws, regulations and
various programs based on the needs of the society in Higher education in Tamil Nadu.

Department of Health and Family Welfare (Tamil Nadu) is one of the Government
Departments of Tamil Nadu which formulates policies, laws, regulations and various programs
for the family welfare and health of the society of State of Tamil Nadu.

The key GoTN agencies that are vested with responsibilities for managing service delivery in
Coimbatore city include the following:

Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) formed under HUDD is the nodal planning
agency for the areas other than Chennai Metropolitan area. DTCP is responsible for all planning
work including preparation of Master Plans, Detailed Development Plans, Land use maps and
related reports.

Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board formed under MAWS is the main
implementing agency for all water supply and sewerage schemes outside the Chennai
metropolitan area.

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) formed under the HUDD is the nodal institution
mandated with provision of plots and ready-built houses.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) formed under the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas
(improvement & clearance) Act 1957 is mandated with eradication of slums through provision of
housing, infrastructure and livelihood programs in slum areas.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is the nodal agency for monitoring and
control of air, noise and water pollution in the State of Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDCO) and Tamil
Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) are nodal financial institutions that
play a role with respect to financing of urban infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDCO) is
designated the State-level Nodal Agency (SLNA) for centrally sponsored urban infrastructure
development schemes of Smart Cities, AMRUT and IDSMT. TUFIDCO also extends financial
assistance to the ULBs from its own sources for various infrastructure developments.

The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) is a PublicPrivate Partnership in urban section promoted by GoTN and set up with the aim to manage
various funds, including the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund (TNUDF).

A number of departments and agencies of GoI also play an important role in provision of critical
transport services to Coimbatore city, connecting Coimbatore with rest of the country.

Southern Railways headquartered in Chennai is the earliest of the 17 zones of the Indian
Railways. It covers the States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and small portions of Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. This zone of Indian Railways derives its revenue from the
passengers and not from freight. The Coimbatore stations come under the jurisdiction of the
Southern Railways.

Airport Authority of India (AAI) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for creating,
upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. The Coimbatore Airport
comes under the jurisdiction of AAI.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous agency responsible for the
development, maintenance, management and operation of National Highways. It is the nodal
agency of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

2.3. Land-use
Preparation of Master Plans in Tamil Nadu is handled under the Department of Town and Country
Planning (DTCP) which operates under the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) of
GoTN. The first master plan was consented and approved in 1994 for the Coimbatore Local Planning
Authority (LPA) area. Further the government in their order No.437, H&UD dated 31.10.2000
permitted to review the Coimbatore Master Plan as per section 32(2)(b) of TCP act, 1971. As directed
above, Local Planning Authority is currently revising the earlier prepared Master Plan for the year
2021. Land use pattern for an area of 105.6 sq.km (erstwhile corporation) and LPA as a whole has
been prepared for the year 2021. Exhibit 2.5 shows the land use of erstwhile Coimbatore Corporation.
Exhibit 2.5Land-Use of Erstwhile Coimbatore City- 2002 Vs. 2021
Land Use Category

Existing In 2002
Area (Ha.) % To Total

Proposed For 2021

Area (Ha.) % To Total

Residential

6318.7

59.8

6617.1

62.3

Commercial

279.4

2.6

433.5

4.1

Industrial

491.0

4.6

721.4

6.8

Education

661.5

6.3

805.6

7.6

Public & Semi- public

271.9

2.6

452.3

4.3

Agriculture

2537.5

24.0

1529.7

14.5

Source: Master Plan for Coimbatore

In addition to the Master Plan, 276 Detailed Development Plans (DDPs) were also prepared for select
regions within this area. Out of these, 64 Detailed Development Plans are at approval stage, while 96
are in consent stage; the remaining 116 DDPs are at draft stage. However, with addition of extended
areas in 2011, CCMCs area went up from 105.6.44 sq. km. to 257.04 sq. km, there is a need for a
revised master plan for the revised Corporation limits

2.4. Demographics
2.4.1. Population trends and projections
Population within CCMC was 16.17 lakh during Census 2011. If we take total area (including areas
added to form CCMC), the population grew at 29.3% during 2001-11. However, population growth
within the core area has been limited with the population of erstwhile Coimbatore Corporation growing
at 15.3% only. (Refer Exhibit 2.6). Overall population density of the expanded CCMC is low at 63
persons per hectare and reflects potential for growth in population in future.
Exhibit 2.6 CCMC - Population details
S.No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Name Of The ULB

Erstwhile Corp. (A)
Kavundampalayam
Kurichi
Kuniamuthur
Chinnavedampatti
Kalapatti
Saravanampatti
Vellakinar
Thudiyalur
Vadavalli
Veerakeralam
Vilankurichi
Total (B)
Grand Total (A+B)

Population(
Population(2011)
2001)
930,882
48,276
77,853
58,900
10,981
22,034
17,737
9,772
21,004
19,994
24,779
9,124
320,454
1,251,336

1,073,020
98,919
159,523
120,688
13,177
26,441
21,284
11,726
25,205
29,735
23,993
14,000
544,691
1,617,711

Density/Sq.
10417
8955
6187
4035
1429
1857
3281
2014
4027
3547
5172
1518
-

Source: CCMC

The decadal population growth percentages show that the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation has
registered increase in population growth over the years. The density of the city was seen to increase
from 67 pph to 88 pph during 1981-01. Due to the expansion of the city, the overall density decreased
to 63 pph. Refer Exhibit 2.7 the trends in population in Coimbatore City.
Exhibit 2.7 CCMC - Population trends
Year

Population Density (PPH)

1981**
1991
2001

700,923
806,321
930,882

67
77
88

2011***

16,17,711

63

Decadal growth (%)

12.6
15.0
15.4
73.8 (like-to-like
basis-29%)

Source: Census India. CDP. IMaCS Analysis

10

As per the City Development Plan for Coimbatore, the population is expected to be 20.24 lakhs in
2025 and 27.89 lakhs in 2045.
Exhibit 2.8 CCMC - Population Projection
Year

Projected Population

2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045

1,868,378
2,024,055
2,192,704
2,375,405
2,573,329
2,787,745

Source: CMC CDP 2013

2.4.2. Social indicators

Social indicators that define the characteristics of the population are Gender ratio and Literacy rate.

Gender Ratio: Sex ratio of Coimbatore city is 999 females per 1000 males and the child sex
ratio is 963 girls per 1000 boys as per Census 2011. The sex ratio of Coimbatore city is much
higher than the national average of 940 females per 1000 males, indicating high status of women
in the city.

Literacy Ratio: Average literacy rate of Coimbatore city is 91% of which male literacy is 95%
and female literacy is 88% as per the Census 2011. In terms of literacy, Coimbatore is placed
among the top ranking cities of the country.

2.5. Economic base and growth drivers

As of 2010-11, Coimbatore district had the fourth largest Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) in
Tamil Nadu at Rs. 25,060 crore at constant prices. In terms of per capita income, it ranked 6th
amongst all the districts at Rs. 75,948. The district economy is pre-dominantly service based with
service sectors share in GDDP at 52.83 per cent in 2010-11. This is followed by a large secondary
sector at 41.83 per cent and primary sector at 5.34 per cent.
Key industries contributing to the economy of Coimbatore city are textiles, automotive components,
software services, manufacturing, education and healthcare industries. Coimbatore also houses the
country's largest amount of hosiery and poultry industries. The city has two special economic zones
(SEZ), the Coimbatore Hi-Tech Infrastructure (CHIL) SEZ and Coimbatore TIDEL Park, and at least
five more SEZs are proposed to be developed. The sectors having much significance in economic
development of Coimbatore are presented below.

Industries: Coimbatore is one of the largest industrial centres in Tamil Nadu and is today part of
the Coimbatore- Tiruppur- Erode Industrial corridor. Apart from being the textile hub, the city has
got various industrial units in both light and heavy engineering. Textile industry, foundries and
manufacturing of motors and pumps are the major industries contributing to the economic
development. Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder manufacturers with a monthly output of
about 75,000 units (as of March 2009). Coimbatore is also home to a common facility for the
manufacturers of wet grinders. The motor and pump industry supplies two third of Indias
requirements, while its wet-grinder industry has a near monopoly. Coimbatore has trade
associations like CODISSIA, COINDIA, SITRA and COJEWEL representing industries in the city.

11

It also has a 160,000 Square feet (15,000 m2) trade fair ground, built in 1999. It was named
COINTEC due to its hosting of INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition). The city also has several
central textile research institutes and associations like Central Institute for Cotton Research
(CICR) and South Indian Textiles Research Association (SITRA).

Information Technology: The city is the second largest software service provider in Tamil
Nadu, next only to Chennai. IT and BPO industries have grown greatly with the launch of TIDEL
Park and other planned IT parks in and around the city. It ranks high among the global
outsourcing cities competing with companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant
Technology Solutions, IBM, Robert Bosch GmbH, Cameron International Corporation, Tata Elxsi,
Dell, Aditi Technologies, CSS Corp.

Education Institutions: Coimbatore serves as a major education hub and is home to 7

universities, 54 engineering colleges, 2 medical colleges, 35 polytechnics Colleges and more
than 70 Arts and Science Colleges and a large number of schools. The city has several reputed
state owned universities and research institutes.

Health Care: The size of the Coimbatore health care industry has been estimated as 1500
Crore in 2010. There are nearly 750 hospitals in and around Coimbatore with a capacity of 5000
beds. The city remains the preferred healthcare destination for people from nearby districts and
also from the neighbouring state of Kerala.

Other sectors: In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality industry with more
upscale hotels being set up like Vivanta by Taj (Old Surya International), Hilton Garden Inn and
Le Meridien, four star hotels like Aloft and several three star hotels. Coimbatore is also one of the
major gold jewellery manufacturing hubs in India renowned for making cast jewellery and
machine made jewellery and also a major diamond cutting centre in South India. The city is
home to about 3000 jewellery manufacturing companies and to over 40,000 goldsmiths.

12

3.

Baseline assessment

This chapter presents findings from a review of prevailing service levels and a gap analysis vis--vis
benchmark norms across various services. It also reports key performance indicators and provides a
self-assessment on 24 parameters identified under the GoIs Smart Cities guidelines provided post
the regional workshops conducted by MOUD.

3.1. Water, Sanitation, Energy and Environment

3.1.1. Water Supply
Refer Exhibit 3.1and Exhibit 3.2 for gap analysis of water supply infrastructure / services (existing,
future demand and gaps) and prevailing service levels (vis--vis norms)
Exhibit 3.1 Water Supply Gap Analysis: Prevailing Infrastructure/Services vs. Demand
Unit

Prevailing
1
status

Norms /
Assumptions /
Source

Water Demand
MLD
133
@ 135 LPCD
Treatment Capacity
MLD
275
Demand + 15%
Water Sourcing
MLD
245
Treatment + 5%
Storage
ML
48
1/3 of demand
Network Length
Km
1,007
AMRUT SLIP
Connections
000s
265
AMRUT SLIP
Source: CMC. * Actual supply after losses.

Demand
Projected
Existing
2025
2045
230
264
133*
77
3,856
485

296
340
357
99
3,856
626

376
433
454
125
3,856
796

Gap / Addl. Need

Projected
2015
2025
2045
97
32
29
2,849
220

163
65
112
51
2,849
361

243
158
209
78
2,849
531

Exhibit 3.2 Water Supply: Service levels Vs. Benchmarks

Service Levels

Unit

Norms

Existing

Per Capita Supply

LPCD
135
82
Duration
Hours/day 24 hours
4
NRW
%
20%
56%
Metering
% of total
100%
98%
Quality
%
100%
100%
Complaints redress
% of total
100%
100%
Cost recovery
%
80%
99%
Collection efficiency %
90%
75%
Source: CMC, CMC CDP 2014. Benchmarks are as per SLB Norms provided by MOUD.

Salient aspects of the water supply baseline are explained below:

1. Overall demand-supply, Sourcing and Treatment: Water is sourced mainly from two main
sources namely, Siruvani reservoir and Pillur reservoir. In addition, some added areas of CMC
receive small quantities of water from combined water schemes implemented by TWAD and from
ground water / bore-wells managed by CMC. CMC currently has a treatment capacity of 275
MLD and a storage capacity of approximately 48 Million Litres (ML).The daily treated water drawn
from the Siruvani and Pillur amount to 245 MLD. The sources are maintained by the Tamil Nadu
Water Supply and Drainage Board, and are located at a distance of 36 Km and 95 Km from the
city, respectively.

13

2. Storage, Distribution and Connections: Prior to Pillur scheme there were 25 service reservoirs
in the erstwhile city limits. After commissioning of Pillur Scheme-I, the erstwhile corporation limit is
served by 46 service reservoirs. Further 3 SRs located at Vysial Street under Siruvani Scheme
and Rathinapuri & Maniakarampalayam under Pillur Scheme-I are not in use. The total area has
been divided into 5 water supply zones and 43 sub-zones for effective operation and
maintenance. The current city boundaries are provided with 126 elevated storage reservoirs with
capacity of 48 ML. This is significantly lower than the norm of one-third storage capacity required
to provide stable and reliable supply. CMC has a network length of approximately over 1000 km
with the core areas of the city. However, at tail end areas, supply has been reported to last for
only 10 15 minutes a day. CMChasnearly265,000 connections much of it in the core areas of
the city.
3. Service levels, key issues and gap: As is seen from Exhibit 3.1, CMC has fairly large
infrastructure gaps across the water value chain vis--vis its medium and long-term demand.
Large parts of added areas are uncovered and this is reflected in poor coverage and service
levels. As is apparent from Exhibit 3.2, CMC lags several indicators on service delivery
performance. At present, water is supplied once in four days under Siruvani scheme, 3 to 4 days
under Pillur scheme and 4 to 12 days in added areas. The water is supplied for duration of 3 and
half hours in a day i.e. 2 hrs in the morning and 1 and half hours in the evening, with staggered
supply pattern to cover different wards in the City. Areas adjacent to the OHTs have been
reported to receive water even up to 12 hrs in a day. Similarly it faces gaps in per capita supply,
duration of supply, Non-Revenue Water and collection efficiency, even though it fares better on
metering, complaints redress and quality of supply. Some of the key issues that need to be
addressed with respect to water supply are summarised below:
a. Poor coverage in extended areas
b. Duration and reliability of supply is poor.
c. Absence of Bulk water metering leads to ineffective monitoring of flow in
reservoirs/intermediate storage points.
d. Pipe networks are not laid for some stretches of roads within Corporation boundary. There are
many uncovered areas in the city and these areas are dependent on water supply through
tankers.
e. Supply through public fountains in several areas
f. Weak distribution system even in covered areas which require rehabilitation
4. Recent Proposals and ongoing initiatives: CMC has identified water supply as a priority area
to address. It has prepared DPRs for provision of 24x7 water supply in both the core areas and
extended areas.
a. Recently, CMC has floated a Request for Qualification (RFQ) for implementing 24x7 Water
Supply on Public-Private Partnership mode in the core areas of the city.
b. Further it has also prepared a DPR for augmentation of sourcing and treatment and extension
of distribution in added areas. These initiatives for augmentation of supply and improvement
of distribution in added areas are planned to be covered under AMRUT scheme.
Implementation of these initiatives can significantly address access gaps across zones in
Coimbatore and could help bring CMC on par with benchmark levels.

14

3.1.2. Sewerage and Access to Toilets

Refer Exhibit 3.3andExhibit 3.4 for a gap analysis of sewerage and sanitation infrastructure / services
(existing, future demand and gaps) and prevailing service levels (vis--vis norms)
Exhibit 3.3 Sewerage Gap Analysis: Prevailing Infrastructure/Services vs. Demand
Unit

Prevailing
1
status

Norms / Source

Generation
MLD
106
80% water demand
Treatment Capacity
MLD
170
80% water demand
Sewer length
km
162
AMRUT SLIP
Connections
000s
24
AMRUT SLIP
Toilets
Nos.
313
1 seat / 200 users
Source: CMC, AMRUT SLIP draft document, CMC CDP.

Demand
Projected
Existing
2025
2045
184
184
3,856
486
904

237
237
3,856
626
1,166

301
301
3,856
796
1,482

Gap / Addl. Need

Projected
2015
2025
2045
78
14
3694
462
591

131
67
3,694
602
853

Exhibit 3.4 Sewerage: Service levels Vs Benchmarks

Service Sector- Proposed Indicator

Norm

Status

Coverage of toilets

100%

92%

Coverage of Sewage network services

100%

31%

Collection efficiency of the sewage network

100%

77%

Adequacy of sewage treatment capacity

100%

145%

Quality of sewage treatment capacity

100%

100%

Extent of reuse and recycling of sewage

Efficiency in redressal of customer complaints
Extent of cost recovery in sewage

20%
80%
100%

N.A
98%
N.A

90%

N.A

Efficiency in collection of sewage charges

Source: Coimbatore CDP

1. Partial Underground System: Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation partially has Underground
Sewerage System (UGS) in the erstwhile corporation area while the remaining areas in the
erstwhile corporation and recently added areas are covered by open drains only there is no UGS
facility. The existing sewerage system in Coimbatore covers an area of 23 sq. mm and sewer
lines were laid to a length of 162 Km and service connections were provided to 24,380
households. The area covered by this underground sewerage system is divided into three zones.
Zone I commissioned in 1954 covers approximately 7.5 Sq. Km, while the balance 15.6 Sq. Km of
area is covered by zones II and III and commissioned in 1998.
2. Existing Sewer network: The three zones collectively discharge 41.3 MLD of sewage, which is
carried by 162 Km of sewer line. Individual sanitary facilities like septic tanks cater to the
populace not served by the underground drainage system.
3. Treatment facility: There are three treatment plant locations
a. Presently, Coimbatore city has a total of 3 Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) which are located
at various parts of the city; Ukkadam, Ondiputhur and Nanjundapuram.
b. Ukkadam: The treatment facility at Ukkadam broadly consists of screen chamber, grit
chamber, settling tank, sludge digestion tank and sludge drying bed. The area that is required
for treating the incoming sewage of 16 MLD is 178 acres (at a rate of 25,000 gallons per acre
per day). The corporation had acquired 114 acres of land at Ukkadam considering the future

15

195
131
3,694
772
1,169

requirements. The treatment work at Vellalore consists of an anaerobic lagoon of 5 to 6 day

storage. The treatment works available for Zone III at Vellalore provides an anaerobic lagoon
with detention time of 5 to 6 days. The capacity of the lagoon is 44,700 m3. The two lagoons
are underutilized since there is insufficient flow for treatment.
c. Ondipudhur: Ondipudur treatment plant having the capacity of 60 MLD has been started
recently.
The Nanjudapuram treatment plant is under court stay at present the treatment plant is not
working. Sewage from Zone III, which is not fully covered with sewer system, is collected at
Nanjundapuram in equalization pond of 8 hour detention time (size 40m x 88m).
4. Access to Toilets: An estimated 7.5% of the households are without any outlet or toilets There
is discharge of sewage to water bodies and storm water drains in several places. It is estimated
that close to 20% of the households do not have safe disposal facility (septic tank or sewerage
network). Individual sanitary facilities like septic tanks cater to the populace not served by the
underground drainage system. 313 public conveniences cater to population uncovered by either
of the above systems, which is inadequate to meet the norms
5. Service levels: As can be seen in Exhibit 3.4, prevalent service levels in sewerage and access to
toilets is poor. While there is a fairly sizeable treatment capacity, lack of sewer networks to
connect means that a large section of population is not served.
6. Ongoing Sewerage expansion and other proposals: The ongoing sewerage project covers an
area of 87 sq.km, Sewer Lines 582 km and 103506 connections. With this project coming up on
stream, a large part of Coimbatore city should get covered. In addition, a DPR for uncovered and
added areas at an estimated cost of Rs. 1631 crore has already been prepared and is awaiting
funding. Further, a feasibility study for implementing a Tertiary Treatment / Reverse Osmosis
facility for reuse and recycling of domestic sewage is also being initiated. Ongoing project
initiatives under Swacch Bharat Mission and other state level schemes are being taken up on
priority to correct the gaps in public and community toilets on priority.

3.1.3. Municipal Solid Waste

Refer Exhibit 3.5 and Exhibit 3.6 for gap analysis of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) infrastructure /
services (existing, future demand and gaps) and prevailing service levels (vis--vis norms)
Exhibit 3.5 MSW Gap Analysis: Prevailing Infrastructure/Services vs. Demand
Unit
MSW Generation
TPD
MSW Collection
TPD
Land for processing/landfill
Acres
Processing capacity
TPD
Source: CMC.

Prevailing
1
status

Norms / Source

890
855
655
610

@ 600 gms / capita

100% collection
1 acre/20,000
85% of generation

Demand
Projected
Existing
2025
2045
1,020
1,020
85
867

1,315
1,315
110
1,118

1,672
1,672
139
1,421

Gap / Addl. Need

Projected
2015
2025
2045
130
165
410

425
460
705

16

782
817
1,062

Exhibit 3.6 MSW: Service levels Vs. Benchmarks

Services

Norm

Actual

Door to door coverage

100%

80%

Efficiency of collection of MSW

100%

95%

Segregation

100%

60%

MSW recovery and disposal

100%

65%

Cost recovery

100%

N.A

Collection efficiency

100%

N.A

Source: CMC.

1. Waste generation and primary collection: Coimbatore generates an estimated 890 Tonnes per
day (Translating to over 600 gms per capita per day) of which it manages to collect close to 855
tonnes. The primary collection is handled completely by CMC either through its own employees or
through contract labour.
2. PPP project for Transfer stations, Secondary Transportation, Processing and Landfill: A
private agency through a PPP contract manages the activities starting with the construction and
management of Transfer stations till the landfill stage. In all, CMC has four transfer stations at
Peelamedu, Sathy Road, Ukkadam and Ondipudur. Three of the four transfer stations are
operational. Hook Loaders are used for secondary transportation from transfer station to the
compost yard / landfill site. The private agency has been engaged by the CCMC under JnNURM
scheme to transport the waste from the transfer stations to the disposal site.
There are 4 disposal yards out of which only one is operational at Vellalore sewage farm. The
disposal site at Vellalore has been operational for the last eight years, subsequent to the closure
of the citys earlier dumpsites. The corporation has obtained permission from the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to use this land for municipal solid waste disposal. The Vellalore
compost yard has an extent of 604 acres of dry land acquired from farmers. Under the JnNURM
scheme, the compost plant and sanitary landfill facility has been installed under PPP mode and
plant is under functioning.
3. Vermi-composting and Biomethanatation: Recently, CMC has initiated vermi-composting in
which over 100 TPD of waste is being handled and processed. Further another 1.5 Ton
biomethanation plant for processing organic waste has been implemented and is used to light up
streetlights in the adjoining areas.
4. SKOCH award Decentralised waste-management: CMC has won the prestigious SKOCH
award for its efforts towards handling waste in a decentralised manner under which it has set up a
zone level waste collection and segregation centre and undertake decentralised composting
within the zone to minimise waste being transported outside the zone.
5. Proposed initiatives: CMC now plans to scale up this approach across other zones. In addition,
it also proposes to set up another 10 ton per day bio-methanation plant. In order to meet long
term requirements, CMC proposes to set up another waste processing plant within CMC.

3.1.4. Water ways, water bodies and drains

Water ways and drains: Located on the banks of the Noyyal river, Coimbatores drainage system
comprises of a hierarchy of natural and man-made drains and water bodies that ultimately discharge
surface run-off into Noyyal River. Numerous channels and tanks constitute the major storm water
drainage system for CMC. With a general slope of the city from North to south, the storm water

17

drainage system in CMC comprises primary, secondary and tertiary drains. Primary drains comprise
the Noyyal River. Secondary drains include the natural channels/ canals with a discharge capacity of
up to 5 cum/ sec. Tertiary drains are the roadside, built-up open or covered drains and those of the
unlined kutcha type drains.
1. Primary drains: The Noyyal River originates from Vellingiri hills of Western Ghats and is a
tributary of the Cauvery River. The Noyyal river basin covers a total area of 3510 Sq.Km.The river
has 23 anicuts and 23 canals of 100 Km length and 31 tanks at different locations with a
regulated irrigation facility was used to irrigate about 20000 acres of land and through ground
water recharging, an additional 30,000 acres of land were benefited for farming activities. It is a
seasonal river which has good flow for short periods of North-East and South-West monsoons.
2. Secondary drains: Apart from the aforementioned primary drain, some of the major irrigation
channels like Sanganur pallam, Kovilmedu pallam, Vilankurichi-Singanallur Pallam, Karperayan
Koil pallam, Railway feeder roadside drain and Trichy-Singanallur Check drain carry storm water
and serve as irrigation-cum-drainage channels (i.e. Secondary drains). Total length of these
drains is about 64.42 Km. City has numerous drainage channels carrying storm water from
respective catchment areas to the aforementioned secondary drains. All the aforementioned
drains are culminating in 9 major water bodies, which serve as a huge irrigation network. The
Sanganurpallam, the main drainage artery, traverses from north to south with its outfall in Noyyal
River. Almost all the drains and water bodies are covered with weed growth and the drainage
courses are encroached upon by a number of hutments. Even though the carrying capacities of
the drains are adequate in the head reaches, the carrying capacity of the drains is constricted in
the end-reaches due to weed growth, silting-up encroachments. There is frequent breaching of
bunds and flooding along the water courses in rainy seasons. In the other seasons, the sullage &
water, flowing through the various drains, get stagnated at many points and cause unhygienic
conditions and mosquito-breeding.
3. Tertiary drains: Existing road side/storm water drains within the Corporation limits are called
Tertiary drains. Corporation maintains storm water drains of total length 1780.10 Km within its
jurisdiction. The drains are primarily open with concrete surfacing and abut major roads. Due to
natural slope of the Coimbatore city, the entire network of storm water drain is presently reaching
Noyyal River. The existing roadside storm water drains are linked with drainage channels, which
convey storm water runoff from the respective catchment areas to the Noyyal River and also act
as the ultimate disposal points. The existing irrigation channels and the distributaries also serve
as an irrigation cum-drainage network system. These storm water drains are fully silted and filled
with plant and weed growth. Hence, the drains are not in a position to carry its discharge to its
maximum capacity, which ultimately results in inundation and flooding during rainy season. The
existing roadside storm water drains are linked with drainage channels, which convey storm water
runoff from the respective catchment areas to Noyyal River and also act as the ultimate disposal
points.
Exhibit 3.7 List of natural drains
Name of Natural drain

Length (Km.)

Karperayankoil drain

1.92

Koilmedu drain

3.30

Railway feeds road side drain

3.30

Ganapathy Singanallur pallam

13.90

Sanganur Pallam

9.70

18

Name of Natural drain

Length (Km.)

Trichy- Singanallur road check drain

1.90

Velankuruchi-Singanallur drain
Source: CMC CDP

10.80

Exhibit 3.8 Drain network and service levels

Particulars

Unit

Quantity

Storm Drain length (manmade)

Km

1780

Natural Drains (7 Nos.)

km

45

No. of locations of water logging

Nos.

78

Incidence of sewerage mixing

%
Source: CMC CDPExhibit 3.9Storm Drains: Service levels

25% of total HHs

Sl.N

Service Indicator

Unit

Current

Normative Standard

1.

Road length covered with storm water

82.33

130

2.

Pucca Drains (Open & Closed)

89.16

100

Road length covered with built-up drains

73.40

130

3.

Source: CMC

Water bodies: Within CMC area there are a number of water bodies and as a first step, CMC intends
to create a network of 8 water bodies that are contiguous and located within the CMC area. In
addition, clean-up of the Singanallur tank and creating an urban forestry layer around it has also been
a demand from citizens and stakeholders.

3.1.5. Energy

Energy Consumption: The sustained demand of the Coimbatore city is 615 MW per day of
which only 10 MW is contributed by solar energy. The contribution of solar energy is about 2% of
the total demand which can be improved to at least 10% of the demand by installing solar panels
across the corporation. There are 12 sub-stations in the city which is sufficient at present but
there will be demand for 3 substations and a feeder of a capacity of 25-50 MW in the future as per
the TNEB officials.

Streetlights: The provision and maintenance of the streetlights is the responsibility of CCMC. A
present there are 69692 streetlights. The coverage of streetlights is around 1 streetlight for every
42 metres of road length, which is lesser than the envisaged norms of a streetlight per 25 metres
which is predominantly because of the less coverage in added areas. Majority of the streetlights
(88%) are not energy efficient adding to the O&M burden of the department. Exhibit 3.10 shows
the zone wise distribution of streetlights. As can be seen, 54% of the energy efficient lights are
present in the added areas. CCMC has undertaken/ initiated capital expenditure to Increase
coverage in extended areas, Move towards energy efficient technology, LED streetlights and
automatic on-off technology for energy saving. Refer Exhibit 3.11for gap analysis of streetlight
infrastructure existing, future demand and gaps) and prevailing service levels (vis--vis norms).
Exhibit 3.10Streetlights- Existing details
Zone

Energy Efficient
lights

Others

Total

East

970

12735

13705

West

1100

5275

6375

19

Zone

Energy Efficient
lights

Others

Total

North

137

8790

8927

South

854

2876

3730

Central

766

10493

11259

Added Areas

4454

20842

25296

Total

8281

61011

69292

Source: CCMC

Exhibit 3.11Streetlights- Demand and Gap

Unit

Existing

Norms /
Assumptions/
Source

@ 15km per
sq.km
Distance
Streetlights
Nos.
69292
between the
streetlights 25m
Source: CCMC. IMaCS Analysis
Road Length

km

2224

Now

Need
Projected
2025
2045

Gap / Incremental Need

Projected
2015
2025
2045

3856

3856

3856

1632

1632

1632

154224

154224

154224

84932

84932

84932

20

3.2. Mobility, Street lighting and Open spaces

3.2.1. City Mobility
Transport Infrastructure: The key characteristics of the transport infrastructure in the city and the
LPA are as follows:
1. Coimbatore Corporation has roads to the extent of 2,106.11 km of which 71% are BT and cement
concrete roads and the balance WBM and earthen roads. In addition to this, 58.06 km of
highways (district, state and national) pass through the city. The city has a road density of 7.06
km/sq.km. The total road length in the district is 12,934 km.
2. Bulk of the traffic in the LPA is carried by six major corridors (Refer
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

NH 47 - Avinashi Road - towards Salem leading to Bangalore and Chennai

NH 47 - Palakkad Road - towards Trichur, Kochi and Thiruvanathapuram
NH 67 - Trichy Road - towards Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam
NH 67 - Mettupalayam Road - towards Ooty and Gudalur leading to Karnataka and Kerala
NH 209 - Sathy Road - towards Sathyamangalam, Chamrajnagar, Bangalore
NH 209 - Pollachi Road - towards Palani and Dindigul

3. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operates moffusil and town bus services in
Coimbatore. These are supplemented by private operators who are licenced to operate specific
routes. Bus operations in Coimbatore City Corporation are managed through six bus terminals. In
addition to these, the LPA has seven important bus terminals
4. Coimbatore Junction, Mettupalayam and Pollachi are the major railway junctions in the LPA.
There are a number of smaller stations around Coimbatore Junction such as Coimbatore North
which help in reducing the passenger traffic at the main station.
Exhibit 3.12Arterial road network in Coimbatore
North South
Railway Corridor

NH - 67

NH - 209

NH - 47

Airport
NH - 67

Coimbatore
Junction

East West
Railway Corridor

NH - 47

Source: CMC CMP

21

Mobility patterns in Coimbatore LPA (as per CMP Baseline study):

1. Traffic Volumes Mid-block: Average mid-block traffic volume within LPA was found to be in
the range of 15,000 PCU within LPA and 18,000 PCU outside LPA The traffic composition across
mid blocks reveal a high two wheeler percentage at around 40%, followed by cars and threewheelers and buses. The volumes were found to be pronounced on mid blocks across
Coimbatore Pollachi Road (NH 209), Coimbatore Trichy Road and Pollachi Palladam Road
2. Traffic Volumes and high traffic corridors/intersections: The average PCU volume recorded
at inner cordon and screen line locations were of the order of 37,000 and 28,000 respectively.
The PHF ranged between 7.5% and 9%. Passenger vehicles comprised 93% of the traffic with
peak hour observed between 08:00 Hours and 09:00 Hours. The two wheeler share for both the
screen line and inner cordon locations was in upwards of 50%.High traffic volumes were observed
in the inner cordon and screen line survey points located on Trichy Road (NH67) & Trichy Road
RUB, Mettupalayam Road, Pollachi Road, Avinashi Road Flyover, Athupalam- Karumbakkadai
Road. Junctions with high traffic intensity included the following :Gandhipuram Junction, 100 feet
Road Junction, Singanallur Junction and Junction of Coimbatore - Ooty - Gundlupet road and
Mettupalayam - Annur Road.
3. Origin Destination surveys was undertaken at 10 outer cordon locations. The traffic external to
the study area, i.e. the External to External traffic was 23% and the combined Internal to Internal
traffic, Internal to External and External to Internal traffic was assessed at 77%. The key trip
production and attraction zones within Coimbatore city limits are Coimbatore Railway Station,
Avarampalayam, Udayampalayam, Agriculture University and Nanjundapuram accounting for
about 37% of total interaction. Similarly, the major trip producing and trip attraction zones outside
the city and within the LPA are Mettupalayam, Palladam and Pollachi.
4. Right of Way: The road inventory survey was conducted along all major roads in adequate detail
so as to collate data pertaining to link lengths, cross-sectional details, type and general surface
condition, street furniture, intersections, control devices, drainage condition, abutting land use etc.
The key focus was in assessing Right of Way (RoW), Carriage Way (CW) and Footpath
availability. It was observed that 60% roads have RoW less than 30 m, 50% of roads have CW
width of less than 8.5 m. In particular, inadequate RoW and CW is a concern for Sukrawarpet
Street, D.B Road, Thadagam Road, Sundaram Road and Thondamuthur Street.
5. Pedestrian Intensity and Parking: The study estimates the total walk trips at around 14%. The
2
analysis of Pedestrian survey indicated that more than 30 junctions or mid blocks have PV
8
greater than 2X10 . Further, footpaths were found to be encroached at and around commercial
areas with hawkers and parked vehicles; specifically near the Railway Station, Pollachi Main
Road, Chetty Street, Mettupalayam Road upto Sanganur Pallam, Maruthamalai Road, Cowley
Brown Road and Avarampalayam Road. The survey also took identified the lack of pedestrian
and NMV facilities in and around lakes and rivers. Parking surveys were conducted at 10 different
locations for a continuous period of 16 hours. The collated data was used to arrive at the parking
accumulation, parking duration and parking index for each parking stretch. Parking demand exists
uniformly throughout the day with the evening Hours (17:00 Hours to 19:00 Hours) witnessing
slightly higher demand. It is also observed that the demand for parking begins at around 08:00
Hours and lasts till 20:00 Hours. At most locations the duration of parking is evenly spread
between the time intervals of less than 1 hour, 1 to 2 hours and 2 to 3 hours. Rampant on-street
parking was observed reducing effective carriage way for vehicle movement. PSG Tech (Avinashi

22

Road), Raja Street, Nanjappa Road and Hopes College Junction recorded high accumulation
(PCE).
Key issues with respect to mobility in Coimbatore
1. Stagnant share of Public Transport: Coimbatores share of Public Transport at 42% measures
well with other Indian cities of comparable size. However, share of public transport has been
stagnant in recent years owing to combination of inadequate investments in improving quality and
capacity of Public Transport, overlapping routes and inadequate optimisation and sharp increase
in personal vehicle ownership (especially two wheelers) over the last decade.
a. Coimbatore households rank at the top on Personal vehicle ownership: Census 2011
household data reveals that Coimbatore district ranked second on share of households
owning two-wheelers and cars (47% and 9% respectively) and Coimbatore Municipal
Corporation ranked first among large cities with corresponding share of 54% and 13% of
households owing two-wheeler and car respectively.
b. Shift from public transport to two-wheelers: Nearly 87% of households reported a
household income of less than Rs. 15,000 per month and form a large base of commuters
that would benefit from a well-run, efficient and affordable public transport system. However,
in the absence of any significant improvements to the existing public transport system, it
appears that a large share of this base is possibly shifting to two-wheeler use. In most
corridors, two-wheelers already form between 20% and 30% of PCUs and the share is seen
to be rising.
c. Inadequate and poorly planned Terminals: Bus Terminal locations at Gandhipuram and
Ukkadam are not adequately geared to handle the traffic volumes and interchange trips,
leading to congestion in the Central Business District area.
d. Scope for route rationalisation and better regulation of para-transit: Even though
Coimbatore has 38 buses per 100,000 population and a high fleet utilisation rate of 99.93%,
load factor at 40% is sub-optimal and suggests case for route rationalisation. Further, weakly
regulated para-transit cannibalises Public Transport even on arterial corridors and prime trips
that are more amenable to bus transit.
On a Business-as-Usual scenario without focused interventions to improve quality and
capacity of Public Transport, the share of Public Transport could fall sharply adding to
congestion, deterioration in road-use experience and delays in travel times.
2. Increasing traffic pressure on arterial corridors and intersections: Traffic on Coimbatores
radial network (particularly on Avinashi Road, Trichy Road and Sathy Road) are set to increase
with population growth and developments along these corridors:
a. Of the radial, arterial corridors, Avinashi Road, Mettupalayam Road and Trichy Road have an
average peak hour traffic volume of 4,530PCUs. With growth in traffic, corridor level plans and
mass-transit interventions along these plans are critical to facilitate efficient mobility in
Coimbatore LPA.
b. 15 of the 30 intersections studied as part of this exercise have a peak hour volume of over
6,000 PCUs and require intersection improvements on an urgent basis. Of these 10 have a
traffic volume of 6,000 to 10,000 PCUs necessitating signalisation and 5 have a peak hour
volume of over 10,000 PCUs necessitating grade separator in accordance with IRC
standards. More than 10 of these are on the three arterial corridors referred above.

23

c. With the location of terminal at Ukkadam and absence of a bypass, Goods traffic originating
outside and destined outside add to the traffic within the city. OD surveys indicate that nearly
23% of traffic on Avinashi Road corridor is on account of External-External Traffic.
d. Right-of-way on key corridors is constrained by encroachments, unplanned developments and
haphazard parking. Right-of-way variation along different corridors namely Avinashi road
(20.2 m to 24 m along a 0-7208m chainage with the city), Trichy road (14.4 m to 24.0 m along
0-2841m) and Sathy Road (9m to 23.4 m along a chainage of 0-9430m) present constraints to
effective road alignment for efficient mobility. Consequently, the average journey speeds in
the city are at around 20 kmph.
e. Parking accumulation on select locations of major arterials was found to be high. The
locations include Avinashi Road and Mettupalayam Road on the arterial corridors and
Townhall, Oppanakkara Street, D.B. Road, Cross Cut Road and Raja Street in the core area.
Of the six MLCPs proposed for the study area three are already under implementation.
With rapid growth along all key corridors, piece-meal solutions like one-off flyovers,
junction improvements are likely to run its course. However, these need to be
integrated with the corridor level plans for mass transit. The integrated solution should
address the strategic road acquisition and widening plans apart from a comprehensive
road network plan to address the future growth in traffic sustainably.
3. Inadequate attention, safety and facilities for the pedestrian / non-motorised commuter, while
parking is largely unplanned, haphazard and unregulated: Traffic and Transportation plans almost
as a rule tend to ignore the pedestrian and non-motorised commuters. In Coimbatore too, this is
evidenced by the following:
2

a. At over 30 intersections and mid-block locations surveyed in this exercise the PV value was
8
greater than the threshold 2 x 10 suggesting high levels of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
b. Footpaths and dedicated tracks for Non-motorised traffic are non-existent. Over 80% of even
major arterial roads where there are road space available, footpaths have not been provided
for.
c. Footpaths even where provided are poorly maintained and encroached upon.
Reconnaissance during the course of this exercise revealed that nearly 75% of the footpaths
in the Core city CBD are encroached and poorly maintained.
d. Accident prone stretches were identified along the Avinashi Road, Trichy Road, Sathy Road,
Mettupalayam Road, Palakkad Road, Thadagam Road, Perur Road and Pollachi Road
The Pedestrian and the non-motorised commuter should be a key focus in
transportation planning and should feature as a central stakeholder in the citys
transport and mobility interventions.
CMP Vision, Goals and proposals
1. Vision of CMP: The Vision of the CMP for Coimbatore is to enable safe, efficient and
sustainable mobility of citizens and goods throughout Coimbatore LPA addressing both interand intra-city transportation needs, while optimizing travel times and costs, through provision
of a seamless, modern and efficient high capacity Public Transit System, while addressing
the needs of pedestrian and non-motorised transport needs comprehensively.
2. Goals of CMP: Key goals that follow from the above Vision and identified in consultation with
stakeholders are summarised below:

24

a. Aspire to increase the share of Public Transport from the current level of 42% to 60%
(excluding IPT) within the next 15-20 years and ensure that it stabilises above these levels.
b. Increase modal share of pedestrians and cyclists to at least 20% of all trips undertaken from
the present levels of 14%.
c. Ensure that 75% of primary and secondary network is equipped with footpaths and facilities
for seamless pedestrian movement within the next five years.
d. Provide for unobstructed, segregated, continuous cycle track of 2m width in at least 80% of
road network that have a Right-of-Way of over 30 m within the next ten years.
3. Proposals and Initiatives under CMP: The Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Coimbatore LPA
articulates various proposals (Refer Exhibit 3.13) expected to cater to the requirements of the
projected travel demand up to the year 2033. Integrated multi modal transport system has been
recommended in order to ensure seamless travel. For the balance travel demand, road
improvement proposals have been formulated. While making road proposals, entire corridor has
been proposed to be improved instead of isolated improvements.The proposed mass transport
corridors are as shown in Exhibit 3.14
Exhibit 3.13 Mobility: Proposals and initiatives identified under CM
Improvement Measures

Details
Mobility Basics

1.

2.
3.

Intersection improvements
(Corridor improvement by traffic circulation
measures such as ban on certain turning
movements, one way streets etc., providing
Channelisers, underpasses at junctions etc.)
Provision of multi-level parking lots
Schemes for non-motorised modes

1.

BRT/ LRT/ Metro

1.

Augmentation of Bus Fleet

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Feeder Network
Bus Terminals
Bus Shelters
Additional Depots
IPT Stands
Inter Modal Interchanges

1.
2.

Integrated Freight Complexes

New Links

3.

Capacity Augmentation

4.

ROB

Signalised - 18 on existing roads

Grade Separated:
7 within corporation limits of which 2 are under
construction
3 outside corporation limits
7 Locations of which 3 are to be implemented
Pedestrian Grade Separated Facilities - 9 Locations
Footpath - 231 km of Road Length
Cycle Tracks - 222 km
MRT

Total 136 Kms

Public Transport Improvement Plan
Number of Buses Required (2020) 1,148
Number of Buses Required (2025) 1,327
Number of Buses Required (2033) 1,397
402 Kms
9 Locations
85 Locations
5 Locations
27 Locations
1 Location
Road Infrastructure
7 Locations
Phase I 71 Kms
Phase II 10 Kms
Phase III 36 Kms
Phase I 93 Kms
Phase II 106 Kms
Phase III 122 Kms
13 Locations of which 2 are under construction

25

Exhibit 3.14 Proposed Mass Transport Corridors

S. No
1
2
3
4

Length
(km)

Corridor Name
Kaniyur to Ukkadam Bus Stand(Along Avinashi Road)
Bilichi to Ukkadam Bus Stand(Along Mettupalayam Road)
Karanampettai to Thannerpanthal (Along Trichy Road and Thadagam Road)
Ganeshapuram to Karunyanagar (Along Sathyamangalam Road and Perur Road)

26
24
42
44

The CMP has identified the Corridors for Mass Transit and that the actual technical option (whether
BRT, LRT or Metro) would need to be finalised based on a detailed feasibility study and consultations
on the corridors.

3.2.2. Parks and Open spaces

Prominent Green Spaces in city is largely in the form of developed parks including the VOC Park,
Kovai Courtallam, TNAU Park, Race Course Childrens park. As per CMCs CDP, Coimbatore city has
a total of 69 parks (accounting for a total area of 93672 sq.m) in the city. However, there has been a
strong felt need for improved open spaces and green areas from the residents during consultations
undertaken during the Round I consultations. Exhibit 3.15 captures the gaps in Open spaces vis--vis
norms which clearly highlight the need for CMC to create more open spaces in the city.
Exhibit 3.15Parks in CMC
Particulars
Open spaces/ parks (Nos.)
Area of parks (sq.m)
Particulars

Quantity
69
93672
Status

Norms

OS availability sq.m/cap.

1.19

10-12

OS in built up area sq.m/cap.

Source: CMC

0.59

As described earlier, CMC seeks to create green cover around eight water bodies and select canals
around the city and as a first step proposes to clean up the eight near contiguous water bodies within
the city. It has also identified a further 74 locations to develop children parks and green spaces.

26

3.3. Housing, Inclusion and Security

3.3.1. Urban Poor
As per the RAY data, presently there are 231 slums in Coimbatore city. The total number of
household residing in the slums is 36151 having a population of 180775. Refer Exhibit 3.16 for the
slum details.
Exhibit 3.16 Slums in Coimbatore
Sl.
No
1
2
3
4
5

Name of
zone
North
East
West
South
Central
Total

No. of
slums
32
23
33
127
16
231

No. of
households
4386
2961
4329
22309
2166
36151

Estimated
population
21930
14805
21645
111545
10830
180755

Source: CDP Coimbatore

Access to basic service in slums: Slums are facing constrains in access to basic service
because of high density and inadequate infrastructure.
o
o

Water supply: Supplying the slums is not upto the satisfaction level of the slum dweller
wither in quantity or in quality
Sanitation: The slums have poor access to public convenience, solid waste management
and storm water drains. It is seen that only 5% of the slums are covered by sewerage
system in the city.

Slum free city plan has been prepared for Coimbatore which provided some key
recommendations based on the detailed socio survey and interaction with slum dwellers. A total
of Rs. 2923 crore has been estimated for both preventive and curative measures on
improvements in basic infrastructure and housing.
o
o

o
o
o

Plan out slum improvement strategies with respect to infrastructure in 116 slums under
RAY in a phased manner.
Improve the livelihood conditions of slum people by properly trained in operation of earth
moving equipment, Motor mechanic, Carpentry, Masonry, Office automation, and
Tailoring.
Promote development of (a) Community Development Training Institute (b) Affordable
Housing (c) Employment Portal
Develop slums with proper approach, local transport, water & electricity, proximity to
schools, primary health centre.
Involve different private agencies, NGOs at national/ International level for the supply of
housing to the slum people.

3.3.2. Education
Coimbatore is known for its education institutions and it has developed as an engineering hub of
Tamil Nadu. The city has six universities, internationally recognised colleges and schools. In the
quantitative basis, the present education system is found to be adequate and meeting the norms.
Refer Exhibit 3.17 for the details on education facilities

27

Exhibit 3.17 Education Facilities in Coimbatore

Education Centers

Total

Professional colleges

192

Training Institutes

24

Higher Secondary Schools 321

High Schools

483

Primary schools

1131

Source: CDP Coimbatore

Primary Education: There are about 1984 primary education schools spread across the district
imparting education to approximately 5 lakh students. Out of this, 1131 schools are in the
Coimbatore City. There is one primary school for every 1500 population which is very high
compared to the norms of 1 per 5000 population and there are also sufficient amount of
secondary schools; 1 per 2115 population which meets the norms of 1 per 15000 population

Higher Education: There are about 192 professional colleges and 24 training institutes in the city
imparting education to more than 1 lakh students. While the no. of engineering colleges is
extremely high, there is a shortage of other professional colleges in the city. Some of the institutes
are Anna University, TNAU, and Barathiar University.

3.3.3. Healthcare
There are nearly 750 hospitals in and around Coimbatore with a capacity of 5000 beds. The first
health care centre in the city was started in 1909. In 1969, it was upgraded to Coimbatore Medical
College Hospital (CMCH). The city remains the preferred healthcare destination for people from
nearby districts and also from the neighbouring state of Kerala. Introduction of more medical colleges
would further bolster up the scenario. The city also has many large multi-facility private hospitals like
the PSG Hospitals, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH), KG Hospital, Coimbatore Kidney
Center, G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital (GKNM), Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, Sheela
Hospital, Kongunadu Hospital, Gem Hospital, Ganga Hospital, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara
Netralaya, Lotus Eye Hospital, Ashwin hospital, Vikram ENT hospital, Coimbatore Cancer Foundation,
G. P. Hospital, Diabetes Care and Research Center.
Exhibit 3.18 Health Infrastructure in Coimbatore City
Health facilities
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Hospitals
Dispensaries
PHCs
Health Sub Centres
Other Medical Institutions
Bed Strength
No. of Doctors
No. of Nurses

Total
143
140
110
328
221
1717
537
491

There is a shortage in the number of beds available in the city. As per the norms, 500 beds are
required for every 2.5 lakh population and hence 3400 beds are required of which only 1717 beds
are present.

28

3.4. E-governance and Citizen Engagement

E-governance at Coimbatore Corporation is aimed to provide on-line citizen services, information to
all hierarchies and monitor performance of the Corporation. It is in practice that citizens are
approaching the Corporation to pay revenues, get certificates, approvals etc., Adopting e-governance,
the above activities are simplified and made possible at their nearest Banks, Citizen counters and
Information and Facilitation Counters. By e-governance, the services of the Corporation can be made
Easy, Transparent, Accountable and Quick. The Citizens may be informed about their dues and
revenue generation will be faster and easier.
A web portal is available for CCMC that has annual budget, audited financial statements,
development plan, acts & bye-laws and details on the assets shared for public but these reports are
however static and rarely updated. A new project is underway to implement a common web-portal for
all the ULBs that can also present consolidated data at the region and the state level.
The salient features of the modules under the purview of the CCMC include: Birth Death, Property tax,
Water Charges, Non -Tax (Lease Items), Professional Tax, Building Plan Approvals, Financial
Accounting System (FAS), Collection centres, online payment of taxes and Pay bill (corporation staff
details), grievance/ complaints redressal, asset management system, waste truck monitoring system
and e-Auction & e-tendering. Dedicated software and websites have been created for the purpose of
grievance redressal, E-Auction and E- tendering.

3.4.1. Civic Services to the Citizens

A number of civic services have been brought online in CCMC

Online payment gateway for all revenues: Citizen can pay their taxes online using credit cards;
property tax, profession tax, user charges and non-taxes

Issue of Birth/Death Certificates: Birth/Death certificates are sent to the requestor address by
VPP with a service cost upon receiving request through its website.

Status of development works: Public have the facility to know the ongoing development works
(including stages of work), completed works, tender results and award of contract through the
corporation website. Contractors can also view the status of the completed works bill through the
Portal. Commissioner and other officials have the facility to verify and review the various stages of
each work, using the portal.

Status of various applications: Public can now track their application status either through the
Corporation website or by visiting the Service Center in person. The citizens receive an
acknowledgement with the unique reference number for any application submitted in the
Corporation office. This system inheriting a dynamic workflow engine, lists the status of
applications with the concerned official and also the pending stages involved in processing that
application.

Auto DCR and building plan approval: CCMC automates Automatic Development Control
Regulation (Auto DCR) and Building Plan Approval and Management System (BPAMS) for the
convenience of the residents of Coimbatore City.

3.4.2. Grievance Redressal system

Grievance redressal is a very important and sensitive platform that allows the citizens to voice their
views against the poor services provided by the municipal body. The online system has been

29

developed with the purpose of facilitating people to connect through internet to register complaints,
and get them redressed within a particular time frame. The system is user-friendly and effective
means to communicate with the government authorities which will help the public to save time and
help in improving the service of the municipal body.
Grievances, as and when received from public, are posted into the system and allotted to the
concerned official through the workflow system. Public can also post grievances directly through the
website and are informed of the status by e-mail whenever an action is taken on their grievance by
the official. Grievances received through the phone are also entered in to the system enabling better
tracking and monitoring. Thus this module now enables citizens to know the status of their grievances,
the officer with whom it is pending, intermediate action taken and the final disposal of the grievance.
A separate telephone line is provided in the Corporation Main Office to register public grievance. The
conducive helpful and friendly environment prevailing now in the facilitation centres touches the
hearts of the public thus making them feel the comforts of any Corporation office.

3.4.3. Vehicle tracking system

Solid waste management is an important function of the municipal body, which involves daily
collection and disposal of waste. CCMC is responsible for the collection, transportation and disposal
of all the solid waste generated in the city except untreated bio-medical waste.
Municipal Corporation has a mixed fleet of vehicles to collect waste from secondary collection points
and dispose the same to a compost plant and disposal site. The Corporation has introduced the
online Waste Truck Monitoring System using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). All the vehicles
have been fitted with the Transponders (RF tags) which are electronically programmed and the
system allows the municipal body officials to track the daily movement of the vehicles. When the
waste laden truck fitted with the transponders passes through the electromagnetic zone at the Weigh
Bridge, it detects the reader's activation signal. The reader in turn decodes the data encoded in the
tag's integrated circuit (silicon chip) and the data is passed to the host computer coupled with the
Weigh Bridge for processing.
The scope of the system includes tracking of the vehicles such as their current location, speed of
travel and different places of waste collection, vehicle management such as the details on the
vehicle service, insurance, accidents and drivers, trip management such as the route taken, possible
deviation of the vehicles from the route and generation of reports.

3.4.4. E-tendering/ E-auction

CCMC has the provision for online tendering with the tendering process in Coimbatore happening
online resulting in the transparency in the process. CCMC has also provision for e-auction and it has
already conducted e -Auction for the various auction items like fish market and flower market shops
etc. and it has yielded the desired result. Revenues from the auctioning of the shops increased more
than what the officials expected.

3.4.5. Citizen engagement through Unified Communication System

As part of its e-Governance initiatives, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation has implemented
Unified Communication System & Information centre which enables CCMC

To provide services in a comfortable environment

To provide services in a better turnaround time

30

To minimize the multiple interaction points for the citizen

To save citizens valuable time and money consumed in travelling to CCMC offices

To take the administration closer to all the sections of the society

The unified communication system is the integration of all communication devices such as telephony,
instant messaging, web data sharing, voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax in a single common platform.
The collection of elements includes IP (Internet Protocol) PBX (Private branch exchange) - IP PBX ,
Web Portal, Interactive Voice Response System, Grievance Management System & Call Center, EMail & Instant messaging and SMS.

3.4.6. Key issues/ gaps and suggestions

Key issues with respect to Service delivery at CCMC are summarised below

Weak integration of modules in Software Application: The existing application addresses

processes in a stand-alone manner. For instance, the revenue module is not adequately
integrated with the Financial Accounting System. Property tax and water charges modules are
weakly integrated leading to difficulties in cross-checking connections and property tax
assessments. Migration to new E-governance application developed by DMA within the next 2
years is recommended.

Absence of GIS mapping: For better maintenance of ULB resources and e-governance, citywide GIS mapping has to be done. In order to implement GIS, Door-to-door survey should be
undertaken, and a property map and utility map should be developed so that a web based
application can be developed. The GIS application will use the maps and help in bringing the unassessed and under assessed properties under the tax net, improvising the revenue collections
efficiency and mapping the properties & utilities for better maintenance of CCMCs assets.

31

3.5. Self-assessment summary

Standard/Coimbatore
score (1-4)

Identity and Culture

2

Economy & Employment

4

Mixed Use
3

Compact
1

Public Open Spaces

2
Transport

Qualitative
self-assessment

Indicators

Historic / cultural resources

preserved/utilised to some extent

No. of Heritage assets

Limited resources to maintain

No. of parks / water bodies

New areas w/o adequate thought on this

aspect

Special regulations for

development if any

Range of job opportunities

Number of industry associations

and players

Attempts to integrate informal activities with

formal parts of the city and its economy.

Organised industry parks

No. of SMEs

Proposals for modern facilities

Most parts have housing, retail, and offices in

close proximity.

Allowance for mixed-use in master

plan

Some neighbourhoods have light industrial

uses Land use rules allow for mixed uses.

% of Commercial properties across

wards / zones

Very congested core city, but Sprawling

tendency seen in extended areas

Share of Two wheelers in trips

Population density across city

Automobile dependence increasing

No. of active re-development

proposals

Very few public open spaces are available in

some neighbourhoods,

Many open spaces are not well-maintained.

No. of parks and well-maintained

open spaces

Public open spaces are lacking

No. Of recreational spaces

High quality Public transport choices are

restricted, although share of public transport

Recent City Mobility Plan identifies

proposals

Initiative(s) for improvement

List and digitise cultural, natural and heritage

assets and prepare micro plans for the city to
renew and re-develop these areas; Build
heritage preservation into building
regulations; build museums that will portray
the history of the city

Ease the environment for doing or starting

business, Expediting plans for building
common warehouses and
modernisation/shifting of market(s)

Shifting and re-development of Market area

and bus terminals and construction of
warehouses outside the city could help decongest city downtown

Prepare transit-oriented micro plans for the

city to (1) renew and re-develop older core
areas and (2) avoiding sprawling unplanned
growth in periphery

Expedite the proposal to create green

spaces by rejuvenating existing odais and
canals and rejuvenate all existing park
locations with public participation.

Implement proposals identified under the

CMP in a phased manner.

32

Standard/Coimbatore
score (1-4)
2

Qualitative
self-assessment
is high.

Pedestrian infrastructure is only available in

select areas.

City Mobility Plan identifying proposals for

improving mobility completed.

Older areas see a mix of pedestrians,

cyclists, and vehicles

In the new areas, there are few pavements.

Inadequate compliance and enforcement of

traffic rules

Electricity is available in most parts of the city

for most hours of the day but some areas are
not so well-served. Smart metering exists in
some parts of the city but not all.

Walkability
2

Energy supply
3

Indicators

Share of public transport

% of roads with foot paths

No. of Load shedding events

Power consumption/capita

Data on supply from TANGEDCO

Some energy through renewable resources.

City is preparing plans for long-term strategic
projects to tap renewable sources

Poor water supply system with limited water

availability

Duration of supply

Intermittent water supply

Reported UFW

UFW>40%.

% of metered connection

Water management
3

The city has meters for parts of its water

supply

Rainwater harvesting systems are installed.

Recycling of waste water/ storm water is

limited

RWH in bye-laws and building

regulation

Waste water

The city is unable to treat all its sewage.

% of waste water treated

Energy source
3
Water supply
1

Initiative(s) for improvement

Implement proposals identified under the

CMP in a phased manner.

Improve reliability by providing proposed

sub-stations and universally implement smart
metering.

Initiate steps to implement solar roof-top

projects in all large government, institutional
and residential buildings.

Implement proposed 24x7 water supply

project for which DPR has been already
prepared

Strengthen institutional mechanisms and

adopt smart solutions to enforce metering
and RWH implementation

Implement a comprehensive underground

33

Standard/Coimbatore
score (1-4)
management

Qualitative
self-assessment

Energy efficiency
3

Underground electric
wiring
2
Sanitation
2
Waste Management
3

Healthcare
3

Initiative(s) for improvement

Many local sewer lines open on to water

bodies and open ground and pollute the
environment

1
Air quality

Indicators

sewerage system and provision for reuse of

waste water

City has programs and projects to monitor air

quality

High air pollution in core areas due to traffic

congestion

Most new public buildings install energy

efficiency systems.

Local government conducts counselling and

outreach to adopt energy efficiency
strategies

Plans for underground cabling prepared and

awaiting approvals

Sanitation facilities > 80%

% households with sanitation access

Waste generated is usually collected and

segregated. Recycling and disposal is done
in a sound manner

% of waste collected, segregated and

recycled

City provides adequate health facilities. Have

emergency response ambulance services.

Implement continuous air quality monitoring

systems across different parts of the city

Existing Air quality parameters visa-vis the permissible value

Reduce congestion, spread awareness on

proper service f vehicles and promote green
vehicles to reduce air pollution

Energy savings

Promote green buildings and install energy

efficient street lights across the city

Implement projects to create universal

access and involve citizen participation to
sustain them

Upgradation of Government Hospitals as an

immediate priority and
modernisation/expansion of primary urban
health facilities across zones

Gaps in Beds vis--vis norms

Availability of emergency response

ambulance

Presence of multi-speciality
hospitals

34

Standard/Coimbatore
score (1-4)

Qualitative
self-assessment

Indicators

Education

City provides adequate primary and

secondary education facilities within easily
reachable distance for most residential areas

Housing available but is highly segregated

across income levels.

Population growth slightly exceeds creation

of new housing.

Poor life in informal settlements.

The city has high levels of public safety - all

citizens including women, children and the
elderly feel secure in most parts of the city
during most time in the day

Housing and
inclusiveness
2

Safety and Security

3

Citizen Participation
3

IT Connectivity
2

Intelligent Government
Services
2

Citizen engagement at city and local area

with most stakeholders. Findings compiled
and incorporated

City has made plans to provide high speed

internet connectivity through the existing
framework

Most of the services are provided online and

offline. Data transparency helps monitoring.
Systems to better coordinate between
various agencies are being developed.

Initiative(s) for improvement

Availability of insurance schemes

for poor

Prepare a plan to provide access of housing

to all informal settlements.

% of population living in slums

Plan for creation of stock of affordable

housing along with proposed creation of ring
road and other arterial roads planned

No. of CCTV surveillance points in

the city

Widen surveillance to hitherto uncovered

areas

Online grievance redress facility

Consultations in recent planning

/project initiatives

Strengthen ward committees and scale up

grievance redressal with analytics and citizen
engagement to help decision making

Engage with private service providers to

expand coverage and create wi-fi hotspots in
important areas of the city

Expeditious completion of proposed webenabled upgraded e-governance application

and creation of citizen engagement platform

Conduct GIS survey for real time mapping of

the assets

Presence of an active ULB website

Facility for Online payments and

service centres

Grievance redressal

35

4.

Citizen engagement

4.1. Round 1 Consultations

The consultative process undertaken by CCMC extensive covering various sections of the society
through various modes; and also intensive covering people at local level, professionals and decision
makers. The social, online and print media played an important role in complementing the focus group
discussions. The Smart City Mission Guidelines recommends consultations at three stages for
preparation of Smart City Proposal (SCP), which are highlighted in Exhibit 4.1.
Exhibit 4.1 SCP Consultations approach

Seek Inputs

Round 1

Round 2

Formulation of Vision, goal and strategy

Key features of city - prioritisation

Crystallise Pan City solutions and proposal

for Area based Development

Disseminate Information / Plans

Disseminate information on proposals

Round 3

crystallized and plans

CCMC planned a series of initiatives for citizen participation in Round 1 of consultation for preparation
of SCP involving two sets of stakeholders

Group 1 : Common citizens through zone level consultations

Group 2:Key stakeholders including - elected representatives, ward officers and engineers,
Industry associations, Builders, Architects & Consulting engineers associations, Traders, Doctors,
Teachers, Bar associations, Chamber of Commerce etc.

The consultation was carried out through focus group meetings, social media and web forms,
media partners and contests. The contest was organized for the college and school students; essay
writing competition on the vision for Coimbatore City. Refer Exhibit 4.2 for stakeholders consulted.

36

Exhibit 4.2 SCP Consultations Stakeholders covered

Elected
Representatives

Citizens & Civil

Society

City
Administration

Trade &
Industry

Through Face-to-Face meetings, Media and Social Media

th

The round 1 consultation was organized by CCMC from 18 September onwards.

4.2. Face to Face meetings

Face-to-face meetings formed a key ingredient of the initial consultations and were kicked off with a
meeting of Line Departments and general public stakeholders including Residents Associations and
leading opinion makers covering over in the city. This was followed by meetings with the Elected
Council and Zonal Town Halls in all the five zones in the city. Face-to-face meetings were also held
with members of Industry Associations. In all over 800 people participated in these meetings. Refer
Annexure II for more photographs and attendance of these consultations.

37

4.3. Social Media and MyGov

Smart City communities for Coimbatore were created in online websites like MyGov and Facebook as
platforms for the citizens to provide their views and suggestions on the city. A separate page for
Smart City is also been created in the official website of the Coimbatore Corporation. Annexure III
provides the snapshots of some submissions in MyGov and Facebook.

4.4. Coverage in Print, Television and Radio

th

Print/media conference was conducted by CCMC on 18 September. The consultations conducted

got a wide coverage in Print and Local Television. The press clippings on consultations in provided in
Annexure IV. Several Radio channels also covered the activities relating to the Smart Cities Mission.

4.5. Contests and polls

th

An essay completion was conducted by CCMC on 8 October for college and school students of the
city to write a 50 words vision for the Coimbatore City in which around 500 students participated.
Refer Exhibit 4.3 for photos and posters used for the Contest. In addition, a questionnaire poll has
been undertaken to get the Citizen pulse on key aspects including their perception of delivery of
various services, visioning inputs and ideas for Area based proposals and pan city initiatives
Exhibit 4.3 Essay Writing Contest

38

5.

Vision, Goals and Strategic Plan

5.1. Approach to Vision formulation

CMCs approach to formulating the Vision, Goals and Strategic Plan for Coimbatore involved three
steps as described below:

5.1.1. Review Vision, Goals, Strategies identified under recent planning exercises
Coimbatore has recently undertaken a City Development Plan (CDP) and a City Mobility Plan (CMP)
that lay out the Vision and Goals for the city. In addition, as a precursor to the Round I consultations,
CMC in association with local stakeholders conducted a Workshop to formulate the Vision and
Strategies for Coimbatore. The Vision and related ideas under these are summarised below:
Coimbatores City Development Plan Vision, Core Ideas and Strategies
Making Coimbatore A world-class, vibrant, affordable, economically and ethnically diverse,
progressive city where citizens feel safe, enjoy their neighbourhoods and access their city
government
Core ideas

Provision of basic infrastructure and services for all, towards improved quality of life by 2018

Strong and sustainable economic growth with better employment opportunities

Increasing prosperity through high quality jobs and better wealth distribution (incomes and assets)

Reducing levels of poverty and increasing personal and household incomes

Improving levels of environmental quality and sustainability

Improved safety and security

Improving life expectancy and health of the population

A literate, educated and skilled population with a strong entrepreneurial base

Responsive, people-centred governance through higher rate of civic participation; and

Efficient and effective administration for universal access to services

Strategies

Land Use-- Compatible land use, Development Control rules to promote and support economic activities,
development of transport links.

Core Municipal Infrastructure-- Adequacy, reliability and accessibility to core municipal services for all
citizens with CCMC as the prime service provider.

Traffic & Transportation-- Road widening, dedicated bus lanes, cycle tracks and improvement of the public
transport system in the short run; exploring possibility of regional linkages in long run.

Urban Environment-- Conservation of rivers, water bodies, and natural environment of the City; making
environment an integral part of every decision-making process.

Urban Poor-- Affordable housing, tenure security, integrated service provision, access to basic infrastructure
needs and social amenities

Culture & Heritage Preservation of heritage structures, promotion and facilitation of cultural activities, and
encouragement of tourism appropriate to the City environs.

Economic Development-- Improving infrastructure, service delivery and governance by attracting public
private partnerships (PPP), creating co-ordination for implementing economic policies in the urban region,
developing collaborations between industries and institutions to further establish Coimbatore as a dynamic
City of the Region.

Urban Governance-- Redefining the roles of administration, making it accountable and transparent and
empowering and involving citizens.

39

Coimbatores City Mobility Plan Vision, Goals and Actions

To enable safe, efficient and sustainable mobility of citizens and goods addressing both interand intra-city transportation needs, while optimizing travel times and costs, through provision
of a seamless, modern and efficient high capacity Public Transit System, while addressing the
needs of pedestrian and non-motorised transport needs comprehensively.
Targeted outcomes

Improving connectivity and travel throughout Coimbatore LPA;

Enhancing mobility within neighbourhoods, wards, zones and satellite;

Achieving efficient arrangement of land use and transport system to minimize overall travel and costs;

Offering viable and reliable transportation options that aim at reducing dependence on cars and two
wheelers, with widespread use of non - motorised modes and mass rapid transit system.

Goals

Aspire to increase the share of Public Transport from the current level of 42% to 60% (excluding IPT) within
the next 15-20 years and ensure that the share stabilises above these levels.

Increase modal share of pedestrians and cyclists to at least 20% of all trips undertaken from the present
levels of 14%.
Ensure that 75% of primary and secondary network is equipped with footpaths and facilities for seamless
pedestrian movement within the next five years.

Provide for unobstructed, segregated, continuous cycle track of 2m width in at least 80% of road network
that have a Right-of-Way of over 30 m within the next ten years.

Shape Your City Workshop Stage I of Smart Cities Mission

Vision
Coimbatore as the hub for the regions Economic and Cultural life

A vibrant and safe community valuing diversity, opportunities and partnerships fostering learning, creativity
and innovation; Prospering through leveraging existing strengths in manufacturing, education and
healthcare, enhancing mobility, global connectivity and competitiveness
Ecological and environmental regeneration and protection

Encouraging integrated transport network planning with emphasis on public transport and non-motorised
transport

Careful stewardship of the built and natural environment found within the City through planned responsible
inclusive development and service delivery exceeding benchmark standards leading to sustainable high
quality of life for all its citizens

Vision elements

Clean and Green Coimbatore

Technology enabled transparent governance

Fostering natural and cultural heritage

Compact urban facility reforms

Rainbow city inclusive city with diverse people

Hi-tech Health and Hygiene

Sustainable Energy Efficient city

40

5.1.2. Findings from Baseline assessment and a summary of key priorities

The first step involved a comprehensive assessment of the City baseline along the 24 parameters
identified by MOUD as being critical to transforming Coimbatore into a smart city. Accordingly the
focus was to identify gaps vis--vis Smart city benchmarks and norms. A summary of key
observations from the baseline assessment with respect to the themes underlying the selfassessment parameters is provided below:
1. Economy, Mobility and Open spaces (Average score on parameters under this theme : 2.2)
a. Coimbatore is a radial city with a densely populated core area at the centre with sparsely
populated but growing areas along the radial corridors that connect the city core with the
extended areas and to other parts of the State and the country. This is reflected in the higher
population density of the core area (104 ppha) relative to the added areas (at 64 ppha) which
are seeing explosive growth rate (74% during 2001-11 in added areas relative to 15% in
erstwhile corporation areas). Across a variety of services the extended areas have service
levels lower than that of the core city and this gap needs to be bridged, although the core area
of the city experiences far higher levels of traffic related issues than the added areas
b. Coimbatore district has a vibrant economy and is the fourth largest district in Tamil Nadu. With
a strong manufacturing base (reflected in the over 40% share of secondary sector contribution
of over 40%), a strong education and healthcare base, an evolving and growing services
sector base, a strong presence of start-ups and several incubation centres housed in leading
educational institutions here, Coimbatores economy is vibrant, progressive and holds
tremendous potential.
c. CMC ranks first among cities in TN in terms of proportion of households owning cars (13%)
and two wheelers (54%) and is estimated to be adding close to 3.5 lakh new vehicles on the
road annually. Notwithstanding a fairly good arterial road network and rail connectivity, CMC
has started to face significant traffic and transportation challenges. It City Mobility Plan
prepared recently in 2015 identifies a comprehensive set of infrastructure and institutional
measures to address this aspect. The phased implementation of these action as identified in
the CMP is expected to significantly alleviate congestion, reduce accidents and fatalities and
provide for seamless mobility across the city.
d. With a number of water bodies (including the eight contiguous water bodies identified for
development by CMC), Coimbatore has the opportunity to provide for a higher level of open
spaces and green areas that the city sorely needs. There has also been an active
representation from citizens to convert the old Jail land into a green corridor and to clean up
the water bodies and wetlands to ensure that the migratory birds that are seen in Coimbatore
thrive in the city.
2. Energy, Water and Environment (Average score on parameters under this theme: 2.3)
a. Coimbatore has a consumption of over 500 MW which is growing rapidly and is being
serviced by TANGEDCO through its 12 sub-stations. There is a need to upgrade local
distribution network by comprehensively moving electrical cable underground and also by
improvement and augmentation to sub-stations. Under the R-APRDP program, the
TANGEDCO is shifting cables underground in core areas of city. With sizeable industrial and
institutional units, Coimbatore has the potential to increase the share of green buildings and
renewable energy share. Along with a program to convert to LED street lighting universally,
Coimbatore is well placed to achieve the energy availability, sourcing and efficiency objectives
of the Smart Cities Mission.

41

b. Though Coimbatore has near-perennial sources of water, it needs to address the gaps in
piped water supply and waste water management on priority. Coimbatore is an early adopted
of rainwater harvesting and efforts by Siruthuli and CMC in this regard have won international
acclaim.
c. Although Coimbatore fared relatively low on Swacch Bharat rankings at 196, it has initiated
several measures to significantly leapfrog on service levels on water, sanitation and municipal
solid waste. Project reports have already been prepared for provision of universal access to
piped water supply and sewerage, and have been identified as high priority projects and are
expected to wholesomely improve access to water/waste-water management services in the
city.
d. A transaction advisory for waste-water reuse has also been initiated and is expected to further
contribute to the water security goals of Coimbatore. Coimbatore has also initiated corrective
steps under the Swacch Bharat Mission and other GoTN schemes to address the gaps in
toilet access. These initiatives are proposed to be implemented as priority initiatives would
usher in water security, universal sanitation, health and hygiene.
e. Coimbatore is among the first cities in Tamil Nadu to implement modern transfer stations and
a modern processing facility and sanitary landfill. Apart from this, CMC has achieved
considerable success in decentralised management of wasted as reflected in the recent
recognition of the SKOCH award being bestowed on it. When it implements the proposed
projects for bio-methanation, waste-processing and city wide decentralised management of
MSW, CMC has the opportunity to be among the first large cities in India to have
comprehensively dealt with the MSW challenge effectively.
f. With several water bodies in its core areas and wetlands that support migratory birds,
Coimbatore has the potential to improve these areas into green, blue and open spaces for its
residents. The proposed plans to implement a connected water body grid coupled with green
spaces and the possible conversion of the old Jail Land into a large green space are priority
initiatives that could contribute significantly to the objective of a clean and green Coimbatore.
3. Housing Inclusion and Security (Average score on parameters under this theme : 2.75)
a. Coimbatore scores exceedingly well in the areas of Health and Education, with its indicators
reflecting performance higher than norms. However, there is an opportunity to build on this
quantitative lead to build qualitative strength by a greater focus on learning outcomes at the
primary education level and upgrading some of its higher education institutions into global
centres of excellence
b. As per the Slum Free City Plan of Action (SFCPoA) for Coimbatore, there are over 46,650
households / over 180,000 people living in slums. The SFCPoA identifies a number of
curative and mitigating strategies to address the needs of urban poor and comprehensive redevelopment and rehabilitation of slum dwellers. Again in terms of absolute share of
population living in slums at between 7-8%, Coimbatore has an opportunity to address the
recommendations of the SFCPoA urgently and comprehensively to avoid falling into the trap
of high growth but high slum population syndrome that has afflicted other Indian cities.
Therefore Coimbatore is relatively better placed on this aspect.
c. The Coimbatore City Traffic Police proposes to undertake a comprehensive initiative to
improve city-wide CCTV surveillance.

42

4. Citizen engagement and IT led service delivery

a. Coimbatore Municipal Corporation has a comprehensive e-governance application which
provides the entire suite of G2C services to citizens maintains a wellupdated website and
has an automated grievance redressal application to record, track and resolve citizen
grievances. There is a need to transition citizen interaction from a grievance redress mode to
an active citizen engagement mode.
b. It has won several awards for its leadership and pioneering initiatives on e-governance and
implementation of smart applications for seamless service delivery to citizens.
c. Coimbatore Municipal Corporation has also undertaken a number of initiatives to engage
citizens in many of its planning and project implementation efforts. All its recent plans
including its City Mobility Plan and City Development Plan have been prepared with extensive
citizen participation and stakeholder consultations.
d. It was the first city in Tamil Nadu to start Happy Streets, an initiative to make select roads in
the city car-free and to encourage people to adopt non-motorised modes.
e. The Smart Cities Mission provides an opportunity for building on these strengths by adopting
smart solutions to take citizen engagement and transparent governance to the next level and
CMC is actively considering some of the high impact actions that could be taken up under the
Smart Cities Mission.

5.1.3. Reflections and Aspirations of Stakeholders

The range and scope of consultations undertaken under Round I of Citizen Engagement for the Smart
Cities Mission have been covered under chapter 4. Repeating suggestions and priority ideas along
the various thematic areas of self-assessment emerging from the consultations are summarised
below:
1. Economy, Mobility and Open Spaces
a. Planned development in Extended Areas. Greenfield facilities for spurring growth of Service
industry and Industrial parks need to be planned for in the citys periphery.
b. There has to be aspirational vision for trunk infrastructure including high speed rail regional
connectivity and a world class international airport at Coimbatore
c. De-congest city by shifting bus terminals, markets etc. to the periphery and to aid planned redevelopment of these areas.
d. Comprehensive modern ring road should be developed to bypass through traffic.
e. Circular rail linking Pothanur and Ring Road should be explored
f. Comprehensive updation of Master Plan and follow up with detailed micro plans for local
areas and Town Planning schemes.
g. Regulations for Floor Space Index, setbacks, etc. needs to be comprehensively reviewed to
enable Transit orientation
h. Plan and implement mass transit solutions for addressing traffic congestion.
i. Implementation of subways instead of foot over bridges.
j. Implement and enforce Modern road design guidelines including ducting of utilities
k. Developing green spaces along rejuvenated water bodies and connects them with walkways
and park connectors.
l. Urban Forestry along Singanallur Tank and Ukkadam Big tank etc.
m. Shift wholesale markets from core city to periphery
n. World class Museum and sports stadiums and complexes in the city.
o. NTC Mills area could be re-developed to provide entertainment and open spaces

43

p. Utilities mapping must be undertaken to design and implement ducting of utilities.

q. Implement a standardised speed breaker design.
2. Water, Sanitation, Energy and Environment
a. Expeditious implementation of proposed 24x7 water supply in core areas and extended areas
b. Expeditious implementation of sewerage system across the city
c. Water logging is a serious concern, especially on the corridors connecting east and western
parts of the city. Solutions suggested in an earlier exercise undertaken by CMC needs to be
urgently implemented
d. There should be continued thrust and focus on rainwater harvesting
e. Siruvani reservoir needs to be de-silted.
f. There should be dedicated Energy feeders for Industries / Industrial areas
g. City wide Energy Efficient street lighting should be implemented on priority
h. Greater emphasis on Solar; all government/institutional buildings + building bye-laws making
it mandatory
i. Integrated Underground cabling and utility ducting
3. Housing, Inclusion and Security
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

CCTV surveillance and Traffic Enforcement

Public and Community Toilets
Fire Stations and decentralised water station provision in narrower roads
Encroachments especially in Periphery to be tacked urgently
More focus on creating Entertainment avenues; Sports facilities and stadiums
Dedicated pathways for Ambulances/School vans on all key corridors
Creation of neighbourhood schools
Libraries should be set up across all Zones

4. Citizen engagement and IT led service delivery

a.
b.
c.
d.

Strengthen Grievance redressal

WIFI hotspots in key locations
Deemed Approvals for better accountability
Paperless administration; automated building plan approvals

44

5.2. Vision for Coimbatore

The Vision for Coimbatore thus encompasses (i) a Vision Statement and (ii) Core Themes
underlying the Vision that capture

the essence of aspirations and priorities of its populace

the priorities emerging from the baseline assessment and gaps, and,

the ideas reflected under earlier planning and visioning exercises

5.2.1. Vision Statement

Coimbatore will be an Inclusive, Resilient, Competitive and Secure Global

Metropolis that embraces Citizen-centric, Technology-enabled Governance to
foster a Dynamic and Vibrant Economy, offer Universal Access to Affordable
Best-in-Class Civic Services and efficient Transit Orientation, nurture a Clean,
Green, and Sustainable Environment, to provide the Highest Quality of Living
standards for a Progressive, Diverse and Talented Populace.
5.2.2. Core Themes underlying the Vision
There are five core Themes underlying the Vision which are captured in Exhibit
Exhibit 5.1 Themes underlying Coimbatores vision

Vibrant
Economy

Sustainable
Environment

Best-in-Class
Civic Services

Transit
Orientation

Citizen-centric
Technology-led
Governance

45

5.3. Priority Goals and Strategies

The Priority Goals and Strategies under each of these Themes underlying Coimbatores vision are
presented below:

5.3.1. Vision Theme III Vibrant Economy

GOALS

STRATEGY(IES)

Achieve best-in-class global

benchmarks on Doing Business
indicators

Streamline, Re-engineer and strengthen processes

to enable investment climate and ease of doing
business

Enablers to create plug-and-play

Infrastructure to support industrial
and service sector investments

Work with GOTN to implement proposed nodes and

regional trunk infrastructure projects on the
Coimbatore -Salem Industrial corridor
Prepare Detailed Development Plans for peripheral
areas to facilitate investments in sunrise sectors
including IT and Financial services

Improve Soft Infrastructure to retain

and attract high quality talent

Interface with Industry to create relevant centres of

excellence and knowledge / learning centres for all
tiers of skills
Facilitate creation of soft infrastructure facilities;
entertainment centres, amusement and theme
parks, museums, sports stadiums etc.

5.3.2. Vision Theme IV Sustainable Environment

GOALS

STRATEGY(IES)

Increase Green Cover

Rejuvenate improve eight lakes and green areas

Rejuvenate Singanallur Tank
Implement proposed program to develop Parks
Road improvements and Avenue Trees

Arrest Water Pollution and improve

Ground water table

Continued focus on RWH and thrust on Re-use

Stringent enforcement of Industrial Pollution
prevention measures
Complete UGD projects and implement septage
management policy of GoTN

Increase share of Clean Energy

Continued thrust on Solar and Wind generation

Improve Air Quality

Ambient Air Quality monitoring

Initiate traffic improvement measures
Awareness programs to reduce idling in traffic

Implement Recommendations and Actions identified under Solar City Plan

Identify and implement Actions to deal with Climate Change and build resilience

46

5.3.3. Vision Theme II Efficient Transit Orientation

GOALS

STRATEGY(IES)

Reduce Accidents and

Fatalities to Zero

Act on actions identified on Accident Black Spots

Implement synchronised signalling and ITS systems
Strengthen enforcement; implement CCTV surveillance

Increase share of Public

Transport

Improve Bus systems to increase share of Public Transport

Implement Mass Transit solutions on identified corridors
Re-design Bus shelters and spaces of high floating
population to enable seamless integration

Improve NMT Facilities

Implement NMT measures identified in CMP

Reduce Traffic Congestion

Implement Ring Road development and new Roads

Bridges, Grade Separators, Junction Improvement
Implement proposals for relocation/redevelopment
Markets, Bus terminals and Institutional areas

Work with AAI to facilitate Airport Expansion / more flights

Regional High Speed Trunk Road/Rail connectivity

Address other Regional and

Trunk Infrastructure needs

of

5.3.4. Vision Theme I Best in Class Civic Services

GOALS

STRATEGY(IES)

100% access - 24x7 Metered

Piped Water Supply

PPP for 24x7 water supply in Core Areas

Augmentation of Source / Treatment
Extension of 24x7 water supply

100% access to safe collection

and disposal of Waste water

Completion of ongoing UGD system

Implementation of UGD for uncovered areas
Septage mgmt/decentralised treatment for uncovered areas
Evaluate feasibility / Implement Re-use projects

100% compliance to SWM

Rules 2000

Extension Project Shunya - Decentralised SWM

Expansion of Waste processing capacity
Bio-methanation plans for local waste treatment
Facility for Processing of C&D Waste

Open Defecation free city

Expand provision of Public Toilets / Namma Toilets

Housing for all / Inclusion

Implement Slum-free City Action Plan proposals

Designated Hawking Zones
Enforcement to prevent encroachments
Expand/modernise Public Healthcare / Primary schools

24x7 Electricity and Broadband

Access

Ducting, distribution improvements, underground cabling

Facilitate WiFi Hotspots and Fiber backbone

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5.3.5. Vision Theme V Citizen centric Technology-enabled Governance

GOALS
Transparent Seamless
Governance and Effective
Citizen Engagement

STRATEGY(IES)

Inculcate a Planning Culture

Implement proposed Web-Enabled E-governance application

Improve Information Disclosure standards and enforce
compliance
Strengthen Grievance Redressal and expand to create an
active Citizen Engagement Platform
Prepare updated Master Plan for expanded CMC; prepare
Detailed Micro Area level Plans in a time bound manner
Create capacity at ULB for preparing and enforcing Master
Plans and DDPs

Enhance Capacity to Deliver

Undertake a Zero-base assessment of manpower and

technology needs

Rationalise Taxes and Fees

Work with GOTN to rationalise taxes and fees while removing

distortions and improving coverage

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6.

Components of Smart City Proposal

As per the Smart Cities Mission guidelines, the strategic components of Area-based development in
the Smart Cities Mission are city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city
extension (greenfield development) plus a Pan-city initiative in which Smart Solutions are applied
covering larger parts of the city.

6.1. Pan City Initiative Guidelines under Smart Cities Mission

The Pan-city development envisages application of selected Smart Solutions to the existing city-wide
infrastructure. Application of Smart Solutions will involve the use of technology, information and data
to make infrastructure and services better. As an example, applying Smart Solutions in the transport
sector (intelligent traffic management system) and reducing average commute time or cost to citizens
will have positive effects on productivity and quality of life of citizens. Another example can be waste
water recycling and smart metering which can make a substantial contribution to better water
management in the city. Illustrative smart solutions that could be taken up under the Pan-city initiative
are shown in Exhibit 6.1.
Exhibit 6.1 Illustrative Smart City solutions

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The Smart Cities guidelines point out that it is important to note that pan-city is an additional feature to
be provided. Since Smart City is taking a compact area approach, it is necessary that all the city
residents feel there is something in it for them also. Therefore, the additional requirement of some (at
least one) city-wide smart solution has been put in the scheme to make it inclusive. Further the Pancity initiative applies Smart Solutions to the physical, economic, social and institutional infrastructure.
Application of Smart Solutions will involve the use of technology, information and data to make
infrastructure and services better and using smart technologies for development of poor and
marginalized will be an important part of the Proposal.

6.2. Pan-city initiative - Initial Ideas

The detailed document provided during the Regional workshop also emphasises that the Pan City
solution should benefit the entire city. It could focus on any issue area, improving aspects of city
governance or infrastructure or services. Accordingly, two types of Pan-city initiatives would fit under
this definition / guideline as described below:

6.2.1. Addressing Infrastructure gaps and incorporating Smart Solutions city wide
This grouping of initiatives would cover those Pan-City initiatives that tackle a city-wide service
delivery challenge or constraint in parts of the city while applying one or many smart city solutions city
wide. This approach builds on a key principle; i.e., in almost all civic infrastructure services,
application of smart solutions is not an end in itself but to enable efficient delivery of services.
Accordingly, under this type, one is considering pan-city initiatives that plug an access gap along with
implementation of smart solutions city wide, so that there is inclusive city wide impact with respect to
service delivery
In the case of Coimbatore, depending on the service delivery priorities emerging from consultations,
the possible Pan-city solutions emerge:
1. Smart Solutions for 24x7 Water Supplycity-wide coupled with 24x7 water supply
provision in added areas. This converged with the on-going 24x7 PPP for core areas will help
achieve service delivery impact in water supply city wide. Some of the smart city solutions that
would be incorporated in this initiative would include:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Smart Metering both at consumer and bulk levels

SCADA based monitoring
Online water quality monitoring
Leakage identification and preventive maintenance

2. Smart Solutions for Sewerage (covering waste-to-energy, SCADA and waste-water re-use)
city wide coupled with provision of sewerage in unserved/uncovered areas. This converged
with on-going projects for core areas will help achieve service delivery impact in waste-water
management city wide. Some of the smart city solutions that would be incorporated in this
initiative would include:
a. SCADA based monitoring
b. Waste-to-Energy
c. Waste-water recycle and re-use through Teri
3. City wide implementation of decentralised Municipal Solid Waste Management and Wasteto-Energy / Waste Processing facility. This will help comprehensively address service levels in
MSW to best-in-class service delivery benchmarks and would incorporate following solutions

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a.
b.
c.
d.

Waste to Compost
Waste to Energy
Bio-methanation
GPS/RFID based tracking of waste transport

4. City wide implementation of Intelligent Transport Solutions coupled with implementation

of NMT proposals identified as part of CMP. This will help comprehensively improve the
quality of public transport and facilitate its increased adoption. Further the NMT proposals will
help improve walkability and pedestrianisation which are central under the Smart Cities Mission.

6.2.2. Initial Ideas Stand-along smart solution implementation

Apart from the above initiatives, CMC may also consider the following stand-alone initiatives that
maybe considered for implementation city-wide. These are in the nature of solutions that may be
sector agnostic and apply to either address cost efficiency / energy efficiency or to improve citizen
engagement/service delivery and / or improved governance.
Some of the ideas that are under consideration under this type of Pan-city initiative include:
1. Implementation of a comprehensive city-wide Enterprise Application that covers webenabled E-governance, mobile apps based e-governance and apps for citizen
engagement.This will help in furthering transparency in governance, seamless delivery of citizen
services and will build on the e-governance application(s) already in operation in CMC and being
planned.
2. City wide fibre networks and WiFI Hotspots: This will involve provision of a high band-width
fibre backbone city wide for enabling a range of e-governance and digital services to citizens. This
will also be complemented by creation of WiFi Hotspots in critical locations that have high floating
population
3. Energy efficient street lighting and equipment: This will involve a comprehensive energy audit
and overhaul of all street lighting and equipment (including pumping equipment) to conserve and
save on electricity demand and costs.
4. CCTV based city wide surveillance: This wouldinvolve support to the Coimbatore City Police to
create a network of CCTV based surveillance nodes connected to one / multiple control rooms.
This could significantly improve monitoring and surveillance capability of the city and to prevent /
tackle crime as well as traffic violations.

6.2.3. Criteria for selection

The guiding criteria for selection of the Pan-City initiative would include the following:
1. Scalability: This will involve an assessment on whether the Pan City initiative can be scaled up
city wide quickly (i.e. within 3 to 5 years). This is critical as the initiative needs to be adopted on a
city wide scale and create impact city wide.
2. Level of Investment Vs Impact: It isalso important to ensure that the initiative should ideally be
investment light and can help create demonstrated impact city wide with available funding.
3. Implementabilty: The Pan-city initiative should ideally stand the test of implementability. For
example it may be necessary to evaluate the reliability and the experience of having implemented
the solution in the Indian context, given that the solution will need to demonstrate city wide impact
in a limited time.

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6.3. Area development plan

6.3.1. Guidelines
The descriptions of the three models of Area-based Smart City Development as given in the Smart
City guidelines are reproduced below:

Retrofitting will introduce planning in an existing built-up area to achieve Smart Cityobjectives,
along with other objectives, to make the existing area more efficient and liveable.In retrofitting, an
area consisting of more than 500 acres will be identified by the city inconsultation with citizens.
Depending on the existing level of infrastructure services in theidentified area and the vision of
the residents, the cities will prepare a strategy to becomesmart. Since existing structures are
largely to remain intact in this model, it is expected thatmore intensive infrastructure service
levels and a large number of smart applications will bepacked into the retrofitted Smart City. This
strategy may also be completed in a shorter timeframe, leading to its replication in another part of
the city.

Redevelopment will effect a replacement of the existing built-up environment and enablecocreation of a new layout with enhanced infrastructure using mixed land use and
increaseddensity. Redevelopment envisages an area of more than 50 acres, identified by Urban
LocalBodies (ULBs) in consultation with citizens. For instance, a new layout plan of the identified
areawill be prepared with mixed land-use, higher FSI and high ground coverage. Two examples
ofthe redevelopment model are the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project in Mumbai (also calledthe
Bhendi Bazaar Project) and the redevelopment of East Kidwai Nagar in New Delhi
beingundertaken by the National Building Construction Corporation.

Greenfield development will introduce most of the Smart Solutions in a previously vacantarea
(more than 250 acres) using innovative planning, plan financing and plan implementationtools
(e.g. land pooling/ land reconstitution) with provision for affordable housing, especiallyfor the
poor. Greenfield developments are required around cities in order to address the needsof the
expanding population. One well known example is the GIFT City in Gujarat. Unlikeretrofitting and
redevelopment, greenfield developments could be located either within thelimits of the ULB or
within the limits of the local Urban Development Authority (UDA).

6.3.2. Pros and Cons of various development options

Exhibit 6.2 provides a snapshot of the various area development typologies and the generic pros and
cons typically associated with these development typologies. As can be seen, Green field projects
can help avoid legacy challenges, but face constraints of land availability and the time frame required
to do a greenfield project from a scratch. Re-development provide an opportunity to create a very
strong before vs. after impact both visually and service delivery wise, but could involve complex and
time-consuming engagement with stakeholders as well as addressing challenging potential socio
economic impact and trade-offs. Retro-fitting holds high replication potential when done right, but
needs to be significantly ambitious in scale and scope with a fairly detailed approach for replication
city wide later. Thus all three development typologies have their own pros and cons that need to be
understood and factored in the local context while evaluating options for Area based proposal.

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Exhibit 6.2 Area Development options: Pros and cons

AREA DEVELOPMENT

Green field ~ 250 acres

Re-development ~ 50 acres

Retrofitting ~ 500 acres

+ Avoid legacy challenges

+ Leapfrog on technology front
+ Aid Long-term development
- Land availability
- May not bring visible benefits
immediately

+ Smallest parcel size

+ Strong before and after impact
potential
- Stakeholder resistance
- Acquisition costs
- Impact in a small area

+ Impact large sections of society

+ Replication potential
+ Realisation is visible
- Needs multi-dimensional actions to
be appealing

6.3.3. Initial Preferences

In Coimbatore, there appears to be an initial preference towards considering a Retrofit typology or an
hybrid involving Retrofit and re-development. Although there is potential to consider greenfield
development in added areas within CMC, the constraints in availability of sizeable land parcels with
either GoTN or CMC could constrain effectively translating this option in a short timeframe
Further in the initial options for re-development discussed, the land parcels do not meet the minimum
criteria set by MOUD. Therefore the choice is to look at between a retrofit option or a retrofitredevelopment hybrid option. Some of the ideas that have emerged from initial consultations are
listed below:
1. Re-development of Bus- Terminal + retrofit of adjoining residential/commercial areas:
2. Redevelopment of 8 Water Bodies/ Green Area + Retrofit of adjoining areas:
3. Retrofitting of a largely residential area in the core part of the city

6.3.4. Criteria
Selection and developing the Area based proposal would involve analysing the following aspects

Project Scale and Scope

High Replicability Vs. High Transformative Impact

Convergence potential

Practical Limitations / Stakeholder buy-in

Fit with MOUD guidelines

As indicated in the SCP guidelines, the options and contours of the Area development proposal and
pan-city initiative would be fleshed out during the course of Round II consultations, during which the
various proposals would be evaluated and discussed with stakeholders to identify the same, on the
lines described above and in accordance with guidelines issued by MOUD including any that would be
issued during the course of the exercise subsequently.

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Annexures
Annexure I Maps
Zonal Map

54

Mobility map

55

Annexure II Photographs of consultations

Councillors Meeting

56

Traders & Industrialists meet

57

District Administration with Line departments

58

District Administration with NGOs meets

Zonal meets

59

Zonal meets

60

Attendance of Public Participation- Industrial Player Meeting

61

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Attendance of Public Participation- Zonal meetings

63

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66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

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Annexure III Snapshots of Facebook and MyGov Submissions

Facebook Posts

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MyGov Submissions

77

Annexure IV Press Clippings

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

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Annexure V Online Questionnaire

1. COIMBATORES SERVICES PERCEPTION RATING: In your perception, Rate the following city
services in Coimbatore on a scale of 1 to 5 - (1 being the WORST and 5 being the BEST)
Services

1
Worst

2
Poor

3
Avg

4
Good

5
Best

Water Supply
Domestic Waste-water management
Solid Waste Management
Public Transport
Roads and Traffic management
Parks and Open Spaces
Water Bodies
Housing and Slum Development
Electricity Supply
School Education
Healthcare
Public Toilets
Streetlights
Storm Water Drainage
Ease of payment of Taxes and User charges
Ease of obtaining Trade Licenses
Ease of obtaining building approvals
Ease of obtaining Electricity connection
Ease of obtaining water connection

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2. COIMBATORES VISION KEY THEMES: The following are a list of 12 themes compiled based
on initial consultations in Coimbatore and from the Vision under Coimbatores City Development
Plan. While all of them hold importance, select five(5) priority themes that should feature in the
Vision Statement for Coimbatore City.
Environment friendly and Pollution free
Water access, efficiency and security
Energy access, efficiency and sustainability
Clean and Green city with open spaces
Congestion free and efficient Mobility
Affordable Housing for all
Transparent, Citizen-friendly and Technology-led Governance
Safety and Security of all citizens
Thriving and Sustainable Business Community
Tourism driven economy
Fostering natural and cultural heritage
Providing holistic education
Others if any please specify:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

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3. COIMBATORES GOALS: Rank the priority Goals that Coimbatore should strive to achieve as
part of its development plans within the next 5-10 years

Goals

Rank
(1-Highest priority, 2-next
highest and so on)

Equitable Affordable 24x7 access to Water Supply city-wide

100% Domestic Waste-water capture, treatment with at least 30% re-use
100% Industrial Waste-water capture and treatment
100% Solid Waste collection, processing and safe disposal
Rejuvenation of all large water bodies and waterways in city
Slum-free city and affordable housing for all
Improve share of Quality Public Transport to at least 50%
Provision of Non-Motorised Transport and Pedestrian facilities
Increase share of Open spaces and green areas in city
Provision of low cost housing to make city Slum-free
Single-window internet/mobile delivery of Citizen services
Meet at least 10% of energy requirements of city from renewable energy
Meet best-in-class environment benchmarks for Air and Water quality
Provision of security and safety to all citizens
Transparent Governance, Information Disclosure and Citizen engagement

If there are any other priority goals that Coimbatore city should set for itself, please specify:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

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4. PAN-CITY INITIATIVES: As part of its Smart Cities Proposal, Coimbatore will have to submit
specific proposals for improving services city-wide. The following ideas for pan city initiatives have
emerged from initial round of consultations. Please rank the pan city initiatives (1- Highest priority
and so on) that Coimbatore should take up under the Smart Cities Proposal

Pan-City initiative

Rank
(1-Highest priority, 2-next
highest and so on)

100% Door-to-door waste segregation collection and processing

Metered 24x7 Water supply
City wide Underground sewerage and septage management
Common Effluent Treatment plants for Industrial waste
Energy Efficient LED street Lighting
City wide CCTV surveillance with Control Room
Electronic Service delivery and Grievance redressal
Smart metering of electricity
Underground ducting for cables and utilities
Intelligent Traffic Management
Recycling of waste-water
Rejuvenation of important water bodies
Smart education in schools
Smart parking facilities
Installation of solar panels
Underground ducting for all cables and utilities
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

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5. AREA DEVELOPMENT: As part of its Smart Cities Proposal, Coimbatore will have to submit a
specific Area Development Proposal for comprehensive development of a part of the city under
one of the three types given below:

Retrofitting (Size > 500 acres) Develop an existing built area by addressing infrastructure
gaps and provision of best-in-class access to all infrastructure services comprehensively.
(Illustratively., overall improvement of a part of a city say a couple of wards etc.)

Redevelopment (Size > 50 acres) Completely modify and re-develop an existing built
environment to co-creation of a new layout, enhanced infrastructure, improved land use ,
reduced congestion and greater open spaces. (Illustratively re-development of a bus-stand
area, market area, slum re-development and rehabilitation etc.)

Greenfield (Size > 250 acres) - Develop a previously vacant area from the scratch - using
innovative planning, plan financing and plan implementation tools with provision for affordable
housing, especially for the poor (Illustratively, creation of a new layout in the extended areas
of city with modern facilities and infrastructure)

Please provide a maximum of three suggestions on the Type of Area development/Location

where the Area Development Proposal could be taken up:

Sl. No.

Specify Type
(Retrofit/Redevelop/Greenfield)

Provide Suggestions on Location / Area for

Area Development

1
2
3

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Disclaimer
The report is based on information collected by IMaCS from sources believed to be reliable. While all
reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information contained herein is not untrue or
misleading, IMaCS is not responsible for any losses that the client may incur from the use of this
report or its contents. The assessment is based on information that is currently available and is liable
to change. The analysis that follows should not be construed to be a credit rating assigned by ICRAs
Rating Division for any of the companys debt instruments. IMaCS is not a legal firm and our
advice/recommendations should not be construed as legal advice on any issue.

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