Thoothukudi – General Information
Thoothukudi
District, also known as Tuticorin District is a district in Tamilnadu state in southern India. The district was formed by dividing Tirunelveli district in 1986 and Thoothukudi is the district headquarters. The district is
known for pearl cultivation, with an abundance of pearls being found in the seas offshore. It was formerly
ruled by one of the oldest kingdoms in India, the Pandyan
Dynasty with the port
of Korkai through which trade with Rome happened. The archaeological site at Adichanallur holds the remains
of the ancient Tamil civilization.
As of
2011, the district had a population of 1,750,176 with a sex-ratio of 1,023
females for every 1,000 males. Tuticorin, also known as Thoothukudi is
a port city & a Municipal Corporation & an industrial city in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamilnadu. The city lies in the Coromandel
Coast off Bay
of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the
headquarters of Thoothukudi District. It is located about 590 kilometres (367 miles) south
of Chennai and 190 kilometres (118 miles) northeast of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
According
to Confederation of Indian Industry, Thoothukudi has the second
highest Human Development Index in Tamilnadu next to Chennai. Tuticorin City serves as the headquarters
of Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank
Limited. Major educational
establishments in the city include Thoothukudi Government Medical
College, Fisheries College and Research
Institute, Marine Training
Academy, V.O.C. Arts & Science
College, Government Polytechnic
College, & Anna
University Tuticorin Campus. Tuticorin
Port, is one of the Fastest growing Major Ports
in India. Tuticorin is an
"Emerging Energy and Industrial hub of South India".
Location
Thoothukudi
district is situated in the south-eastern corner of Tamilnadu. It is bounded on the north by the districts of Tirunelveli,
Virudhunagar, and Ramanathapuram, on the east and southeast by the Gulf
of Mannar and on the west and
southwest by Tirunelveli district. The total area of the district is
4621 km². The district of Thoothukudi was carved out as a separate
district on 20 October 1986 as a result of bifurcation of the Tirunelveli
district.
History
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Geography
& Climate
Thoothukudi
is a port town situated in the Gulf of Mannar about 125 km (78 mi)
North of Cape Commorin and its environs form part of the coastal belt which
forms a continuous stretch of the flat country relieved here and there by small
rock out crops. The region, surrounding Thoothukudi is liberally dotted with
rain fed tanks.
Red
soils are found on the southern side of the Thoothukudi town is composed quartz
and variable quantities of fine red dry dust. The port is an all-weather one.
The bay formed by the Hare Island, Devils point and the main land gives ample
protection to the lighters from monosonic weather. The beach of Thoothukudi is
featured with calm breeze and very low waves giving an image of a big river.
Thoothukudi
is located at 8.53°N
78.36°E. Thoothukudi is located
in South India, on the Gulf
of Mannar, about 540 kilometres
(340 miles) south of Chennai & 125 kilometres (78 miles) north of Kanyakumari. The hinterlands of the port of the city is connected
to the districts of Madurai, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Tiruchirapalli. The city mostly has a flat terrain and roughly divided
into two by the Buckle channel. Being in coastal region, the soil is mostly
clay sandy and the water table varies between 1 and 4 m (3.3 and
13.1 ft.) below ground level.
The city
has loose soil with thorny shrubs in the north and salt pans in the south. The
city experiences tropical climatic conditions characterised with immensely hot
summer, gentle winter and frequent rain showers. Summer extends between March
and June when the climate is very humid. Thoothukudi registers the maximum temperature
of 39 °C (102 °F) and the minimum temperature of 32 °C
(90 °F).
The city
receives adequate rainfall during the months of October and November. The city
receives around 444 mm (17.5 in) rainfall from the Northeast
monsoon, 117.7 mm
(4.63 in) during summer, 74.6 mm (2.9 inches) during winter and
63.1 mm (2.5 inches) during the South-west monsoon season. The coolest month is January and the
hottest months are from May to June. The city has a very high humidity being in
the coastal sector.
The 21
islands between Thoothukudi and Rameswaram shores in the Gulf of Mannar are notified as the
first Marine Biosphere Reserve of India. About 36,000 species of flora and
fauna exist in the region covered with mangroves, sandy shores, sea grass beds
that are conducive for turtle nesting. The regions around the Thoothukudi
shores are home to rare marine flora and fauna.
Coral
reefs and pearl oysters are some of the exotic species while algae, reef
fish, holothurians, shrimps, lobsters, crabs and Mollusca are very common. Out of 600 recorded varieties of
fish in the region, 72 are found to be commercially important. The thermal
discharge from the thermal plants and excessive brine run off from the salt
pans impacts the flora and fauna in the region to a large extent.
Water Bodies
There
are no large reservoirs in this district so the Papanasam and Manimuthar dams located in the Tirunelveli
district in the Thamirabarani River flow are the main sources of irrigation. Other
than the Thamirabarani River, the river Vaippar in Vilathikulam taluk, the river Karumeni which traverses through Sattankulam and Thiruchendur taluks,
Palayakayal are all sources.
Administrative
Divisions
Thoothukudi
District is divided into three revenue divisions and eight Taluks. There are forty-one revenue Firkas and 480 revenue villages.
|
Revenue Divisions
|
Taluks
|
Number of Revenue Villages
|
|
Thoothukudi
|
Thoothukudi
|
33
|
|
Srivaikundam
|
69
|
|
|
Kovilpatti
|
Kovilpatti
|
33
|
|
Ottapidaram
|
63
|
|
|
Ettayapuram
|
56
|
|
|
Vilathikulam
|
89
|
|
|
Thiruchendur
|
Thiruchendur
|
58
|
|
Sathankulam
|
25
|
The
district is divided into twelve revenue blocks for rural and urban development.
The twelve revenue blocks are Tuticorin, Thiruchendur, Udangudi, Sathankulam,
Srivaikundam, Alwarthirunagari, Karungulam, Ottapidaram, Kovilpatti, Kayathar,
Vilathikulam, and Pudur. The district has one Municipal Corporation, Thoothukudi, two municipalities, Kayalpattinam and
Kovilpatti, nineteen town
panchayats, and 403 panchayat
villages.
Constituencies
There is
one parliamentary constituency for the district, Thoothukudi Constituency, and six assembly constituencies:
·
Kovilpatti Assembly
Constituency
·
Ottapidaram Assembly Constituency
·
Srivaikundam Assembly
Constituency
·
Thiruchendur Assembly
Constituency
·
Thoothukudi Assembly Constituency
·
Vilathikulam Assembly
Constituency
Demographics
According
to 2011 census, Thoothukudi district had a population of 1,750,176
with a sex-ratio of 1,023 females for every 1,000 males, much above the
national average of 929. A total of 183,763 were under the age of six,
constituting 93,605 males and 90,158 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, accounted for
19.88% and 0.28% of the population respectively.
The
average literacy of the district was 77.12%, compared to the national average
of 72.99%. The district had a total of 462,010 households. There were a total
of 748,095 workers, comprising 44,633 cultivators, 161,418 main agricultural
labourers, 17,872 in house hold industries, 433,524 other workers, 90,648
marginal workers, 3,882 marginal cultivators, 39,226 marginal agricultural
labourers, 4,991 marginal workers in household industries and 42,549 other
marginal workers.
Economy
Tuticorin port contributes majorly to the economy of the district
besides providing employment. Tuticorin hosts industries such as SPIC,
Sterlite, Tuticorin alkaline chemicals, DCW zirconium plant and numerous salt
packing companies. Many coal based power plants are at various stages of
commissioning. Kovilpatti consists of many small sized industries especially
match stick industries.
Fishing
is one of the largest contributors to the local economy. Thoothukudi Fishing
Harbour is one of the oldest and largest in Tamilnadu. The Tuticorin Thermal Power
Station has five 210
megawatt generators. The first generator was commissioned in July 1979. The
thermal power plants under construction include the coal-based 1000 MW NLC TNEB
Power Plant.
In
addition to this there are several private power plants like Ind Barath Power
Limited, Coastal Energen, and Sterlite Industries Captive power plant. Southern Petrochemical
Industries Corporation, Tuticorin Alkali
Chemicals, Heavy Water Board Plant, Sterlite Industries, Venus Home Appliances, Madura Coats and Mills, Dhrangadhra
Chemical works, Kilburn Chemicals, Nila Sea foods, Diamond Sea foods, Maris
Associates, VVD Coconut oil mill, AVM oil mill, Ramesh flowers, Agsar
Paints, Tuticorin Spinning Mills Ltd and KSPS Salts are some of the
small scale and large scale industries in the city.
Thoothukudi
City is the headquarters Tamilnad Mercantile Bank
Limited. It is one of the fastest
growing banks in India during the period of 2007-2012. Its total business is
worth 360 billion. The bank targets a Total Business of 500 Billion INR in
2014-15. The city also has a research institute set up by Central Marine Fisheries Research
Institute and a Spices
laboratory set up by Spices Board of India. Thoothukudi also has a State
Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Industrial Estate and SIDCO's Industrial
Estate which comprises several Small scale and Medium scale Industries.
Agriculture
Paddy, is cultivated in the Palayakayal Srivaikundam, Sattankulam and Thiruchendur taluks. Cumbu, Cholam, Kuthiraivali & other pulses are raised in the dry tracts of Kovilpatti, Vilathikulam, Nagalapuram Ottapidaram, and Thoothukudi taluks. Cotton is cultivated in
Kovilpatti, Ottapidaram and Thoothukudi Taluks. Groundnut Cultivation is undertaken in Kovilpatti, Thiruchendur,
and Sattankulam taluks.
Groundnut
cake is being used as manure and cattle feed. Nagalapuram makes its economy to
be solely dependent agriculture. Main business of this area is dry chilly,
cholam, Cumbu wood charcoal, etc. With 35% share, the district is the top
producer of Cumbu in Tamil Nadu. Palmyrah Trees are grown mostly in Thiruchendur,
Srivaikundam, Sattankulam and Vilathikulam taluks. Jaggery, is produced from palmyrah juice; the production
of jaggery is the main occupation of the people of Thiruchendur and Sattankulam
taluks. Banana & other vegetables are raised in Srivaikundam
and Thiruchendur taluks.
Salt Production
The
district constitutes 70 per cent of the total salt production of Tamilnadu and
30 per cent of that of India. Tamil Nadu is the second largest producer of Salt
in India next to Gujarat.
Thoothukudi
Port
To cope
with the increasing trade through Thoothukudi, the Government of India
sanctioned the construction of an all-weather Port at Thoothukudi. On 11 July
1974, the newly constructed Thoothukudi
port was declared the tenth major port in India Second
only to JN Port (Mumbai) in size. Thoothukudi is an artificial port. During the
union budget of 2014-2015, Central government sanctioned an 11,500 crore Outer
harbour development program for Thoothukudi port which is expected to give a
push to the export import sector in southern Tamilnadu.
The
project would commence in 2015 and completed by 2020. The DPR for Outer Harbour
was released recently by Union Shipping Minister. As a Port city, almost all
major Logistics company has set up office in Thoothukudi. The Port also has a
dedicated Container terminal operated by PSA
International. The Port recently commenced
the operation of 2nd Container Terminal by ABG (DBGIT) Pvt Ltd. The port
handled 0.5 million TEU's in 2013-2014 to become third largest container port
among Major Ports of India. The port is also a significant port due to the fact
that it is located close to East-West International Sea Route.
The port
has direct cargo and container vessel connectivity to all major ports in the
world like Colombo, Singapore, JNPT (Mumbai), and Mundra, Jebel Ali, Salalah,
Rotterdam, Karachi, Hong Kong and much more. This is the third
international port in Tamilnadu and its second all-weather port. The port also
helps to increase the tourism in the region. A new ferry has been commenced
between Thoothukudi and Colombo.
The
Station Commander, Indian Coast Guard Station Thoothukudi is located at Thoothukudi,
Tamilnadu under the operational and administrative control of the Commander,
Coast Guard Region (East), Chennai. The Coast Guard Station Thoothukudi was
commissioned on 25 Apr 91 by Vice Admiral SW Lakhar, NM, VSM the then Director
General Coast Guard. The Station Commander is responsible for Coast Guard
operations in this area of jurisdiction in Gulf of Mannar.
Madurai-Thoothukudi
Industrial Corridor
Thoothukudi
is the end point of the proposed Madurai-Thoothukudi Industrial Corridor. The study for this
Corridor was completed by the Government of Tamilnadu recently. The Corridor would consist of four
manufacturing regions, one agri-business region, two business investment
regions, a special tourism zone, one rural tourism hub and one knowledge hub.
The government
estimates that this Corridor would attract 1, 90,000 crore industrial
investment over a period of 10 years. The State Government recently formed a
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for Speedy implementation of the Project. The
upcoming new railway line from Madurai to Thoothukudi via Aruppukkottai, Ettayapuram
would serve as the backbone for the development of this corridor.
Education
There
are numerous educational institutions, colleges, schools providing education.
The Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam was established in
1984 – 85 as the third constituent College of Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University.
Notable
People
·
Poet Subramanya Bharathi
·
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
·
Alagumuthu Kone,
·
Oomathurai,
·
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
·
Vellaiyathevan
·
Veeran Sundaralingam
Entertainment
& Leisure
Thoothukudi
has All India Radio Station which Carries AIR External Services for South Asia
in English, Sinhala and Tamil (1053 kHz). FM Radio Stations in
Thoothukudi City include Suryan FM (93.5 MHz), Hello FM (106.4 MHz).
Thoothukudi is the landing point for the first undersea cable of BSNL
connecting Tuticorin with Colombo.
The City
has Tharuvai Multi-Purpose Stadium which is maintained by Sports Development
Authority of Tamilnadu. Tuticorin Gymkhana Club has two Synthetic Turf Tennis courts;
Thoothukudi is the only other place after Chennai in Tamilnadu to have this
modern facility. Thoothukudi is known for its bakery items especially Macaroon. It is a light, baked confection including recipes
like Almond, Coconut and Nut
(fruit).Tuticorin macaroon, is slightly different from European macaroon since it
contains Cashew as a main ingredient.
The
Shiva temple in the center of the town and the Our Lady of Snows Basilica are the major religious attractions in the city.
The Church attracts lot of visitors around the country and is one of catholic
pilgrimage centers in India dedicated to Virgin Mary. Roche Park located on the
southern corner of the city, Harbour Beach park, Nehru Park located in the
northern side of the city, Rajaji Park near the Government hospital and Pearl
Beach are the primary attractions of the city.
There
are numerous islands located close to the city namely Hare Island, Nalla Thanni
Island which attracts lot of visitors during weekends and festival seasons. The
church festival celebrated yearly during August and the Shiva temple festivals
like Adi Amavasai, Sasti and Chittirai chariot festivals are the major
festivals of the land.
Places of
Interest
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Accommodation
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Connectivity
For
brief details, please refer below link;