CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami, said the DMK government's Coimbatore Master Plan 2041 has created a flutter and shock among the people of Coimbatore as it could lead to massive irregularities and is therefore condemnable.

He also alleged that the ruling party and firms closely associated with the families of those in power would engage in large-scale irregularities

The master plan, designed by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, covers the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, four municipalities, 21 town panchayats and 66 revenue villages across an area of 1,531 sq km.

It sets out a framework to earmark land for agriculture, housing, industries and other developmental activities. However, the AIADMK leader alleged that the government had rushed the exercise without transparency.

However, the government's approach has not been well-received, as the public hearing on the plan was abruptly halted.

Yet the plan was pushed forward and published despite lacking clarity and containing several shortcomings, said Palaniswami in a statement.

The development requires authorities to identify areas for various land uses, including agriculture, residential and industrial.

The AIADMK leader added that reports suggest the plan has been structured to enable large-scale "scientific corruption" involving ruling party families and their affiliated firms.

These groups would allegedly manipulate thousands of acres of land by exploiting provisions within the plan.

It could affect around 50,000 acres of land, leading to irregularities amounting to thousands of crores of rupees, said the AIADMK leader, who demanded that the authorities review the scheme and redefine it after taking public opinion into account.

The AIADMK, he added, would continue to oppose the plan in its current form and stand with the people of Coimbatore to prevent large-scale irregularities.