Latur | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Marathwada Martyr Monument (Marathwada Hutatma Smarak), located in the city | |
| Nickname: Adishru | |
 Latur in Maharashtra | |
| Coordinates:18°24′N76°34′E / 18.40°N 76.56°E /18.40; 76.56 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Maharashtra |
| District | Latur |
| Settled | Possibly 7th century AD |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Latur Municipal Corporation |
| • Mayor | Vacant |
| • Municipal Commissioner | Aman Mittal,IAS |
| • MLAs | Amit Deshmukh –Latur City |
| • Member of Parliament | Dr. Shivajiao Kalge (INC) |
| Area | |
• City | 32.56 km2 (12.57 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 16th (Maharashtra) 120th (India) |
| Elevation | 515 m (1,690 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• City | 266,955[1] |
| • Metro | 300,000 |
| Demonym | Laturkar |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN |
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| Telephone code | 91-02382 |
| Vehicle registration | MH-24 |
| Official language | Marathi[3] |
| Sex ratio | 923.54♀/1000♂ |
| Literacy | 96.76 |
| Climate | BSh(Köppen) |
| Precipitation | 860.9 mm |
| Avg. summer temperature | 41 °C (106 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 13 °C (55 °F) |
Latur (formerlyRatnapur) is a city inLatur district of theMaharashtra state ofIndia. Before 1982 Latur was a part of theOsmanabad district (nowDharashiv). The city is a tourist hub surrounded by many historical monuments likeKharosa Caves. The most spoken language in Latur isMarathi. The city's quality of education attracts students from all over Maharashtra. It is a drought prone area with acutewater shortage in its city and rural areas. The economy is agriculture intensive, but in recent years is also dependent on Educational sector and its allied activities. Industrial development is minimal in the district. Latur is 43 kilometers from theepicenter of the devastating1993 Latur earthquake.[4]
Latur has an ancient history, which probably dates to theRashtrakuta period. It was home to a branch of Rashtrakutas which ruled theDeccan from 753 to 973 AD. The firstRashtrakuta king,Dantidurga, was from Lattaluru, the ancient name for Latur. Ratnapur is also mentioned as an historic name for Latur.[5]
The KingAmoghavarsha ofRashtrakutas developed the Latur city.[6] The Rashtrakutas who succeeded theChalukyas ofBadami in 753 AD called themselves the residents of Lattaluru.[7]
It was, over the centuries, variously ruled by theSatavahanas, theSakas, theChalukyas, the Yadavas ofDeogiri, theDelhi Sultans, theBahamani rulers of South India,Adilshahi, and theMughals.
In Latur's Papvinashak Temple a 12th-century inscription of KingSomeshvara III was found. According to that inscription, 500 scholars were living in Lattlaur (Latur) at that time and that Latur was the city of King Someshwar.[8]
In the 19th century, Latur became part of thePrincely state ofHyderabad. In 1905 it was merged with surrounding areas and renamed Latur tehsil, becoming part ofOsmanabad district. Before 1948, Latur was a part ofHyderabad State underNizam. The chief of theRazakar's,Qasim Rizwi, was from Latur.[9]
AfterIndian independence and theIndian annexation of Hyderabad,Osmanabad became part ofBombay Province. In 1960, with the creation of Maharashtra, Latur became part of one of its districts. On 16 August 1982, a separateLatur district was carved out ofOsmanabad district.[10]
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Latur is situated 636 metres above mean sea level, on the Balaghat plateau, near the Maharashtra–Karnataka state boundary. It receives its drinking water from the nearbyManjira River, which suffered from environmental degradation and silting in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[11] As a result of this and lack of implementation of a water management strategy, during the drought of the 2010s the city ran out of water.[12][13]
Temperature: Temperatures in Latur range from 13 to 41 °C (55 to 106 °F), with the most comfortable time to visit in the winter, which is October to February. The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.6 °C (114.1 °F). The lowest recorded temperature was 2.2 °C (36.0 °F). In the cold season the district is sometimes affected by cold waves in association with the eastward passage of western disturbances across north India, when the minimum temperature may drop down to about 2 to 4 °C (36 to 39 °F).[14]
Rainfall: Most of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season from June to September. Rainfall varies from 9.0 to 693 millimetres (0.35 to 27.28 in) per month. Average annual rainfall is 725 millimetres (28.5 in).
Recently, Latur has been bearing the brunt of climate change. Extreme weather episodes, including torrential rainfall and even hailstorms in summers, have been showing up in Latur for over a decade now.[15]
Latur has been ranked 29th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.[16]
On 30 September 1993, at 3:53 a.m. local time, Latur was almost completely destroyed by a devastatingintraplate earthquake that affected the southernMarathwada region of Maharashtra state in central-western part of India—including Latur, Beed, Osmanabad, and adjoining districts about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-east ofMumbai—and resulted in a huge loss of life.[17] The earthquake measured only 6.3 on theRichter magnitude scale, but itsfocus was relatively shallow, at around 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) deep. Consequently, the resultant shock waves, being unattenuated, caused more damage. The quake caused around 10,000 deaths[18] and 30,000 were injured, mainly due to the poor construction of stone houses and huts which collapsed on people who were fast asleep. After the earthquake, seismic zones were reclassified, and building codes and standards revised, all over India.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 29,000 | — |
| 1971 | 67,000 | +131.0% |
| 1981 | 101,000 | +50.7% |
| 1991 | 159,200 | +57.6% |
| 2001 | 299,179 | +87.9% |
| 2011 | 382,940 | +28.0% |
| Source:Census of India[19] | ||
Latur's population, as of the 2011 census, is 382,940. it has a sex ratio of 937 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 84.22%. 12.49% of the population is under six years of age. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 17.62% and 1.45% of the population respectively.[1]
At the time of the 2011 census, 71.92% of the population spokeMarathi, 12.88%Hindi, 11.32%Urdu and 1.75%Marwari as their first language.[21]
Latur has an earlier Municipal Council, which was established in 1952.Latur Municipal Corporation (LMC) is the local civil body. It is divided into five zones. The Municipal Corporation area is about 117.78 square kilometres (45.48 sq mi). It was elevated to the status of Municipal Corporation by the State Government in 2011.
The Urban Development Dept.,Govt. of Maharashtra expressed its desire vide letter dated 30/10/2006 to notify fringe area of Latur and appointCIDCO as its Special Planning Authority.CIDCO has submitted its proposal to notify the fringe area measuring approx. 26541.00 ha. inclusive of urbanisable zone of about 16696 ha. Govt. has appointedCIDCO as Special Planning Authority. The notified area covers 40 villages on the fringe ofLatur Municipal Corporation. It is envisaged in the project not to acquire 100% land but to adopt minimum land acquisition model for development of infrastructure and growth corridors.
The city is divided in 70 electoral wards called asPrabhag and each ward is represented by a Corporator (called asNagarsevak) elected by the people from each ward. LMC is responsible for providing basic amenities such as drinking water, drainage facility, road, street lights, healthcare facilities and primary schools. LMC collects its revenue from the urban taxes which are imposed on citizens. The administration is headed by the Commissioner of Municipal Corporation; an I.A.S. Officer, assisted by the other officers of different departments.
Latur contributes one seat to theLok Sabha. The seat is currently held by Dr. Shivaji Kalge,MP, of the INC. It also holds one seat for the Assembly - LaturIndian National Congress. In latest constituency arrangements made byElection Commission of India, Latur will contribute oneLoksabha seat, and two state assembly seats, i.e.Latur City andLatur Rural.
The city is the birthplace ofShivraj Patil, who served as home minister of India,
Amidst national political controversy is the death, on 1 December 2014, of judgeBrijgopal Harkishan Loya of theCentral Bureau of Investigation, who was addressing the case involvingAmit Shah, the national leader of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and who was cremated at his native village of Gategaon.[22]
Vikrant Vikram Gojamgunde is the mayor of Latur. He became mayor in 2019.[23] He is the youngest mayor in the state of Maharashtra.
Latur has developed into an educational hub for secondary, higher secondary, and university education. The district is known in Maharashtra for its "Latur Pattern" of study, which involves intensive coaching given in the city. Students of junior colleges in Latur have a good record in taking competitive engineering and medical entrance exams.[24]
Public schools (known locally asmunicipality schools) are run by theLMC, and are affiliated with theMSBSHSE. Private schools are run by educational trusts or individuals. They are usually affiliated with either thestate board or national education boards, such as theICSE orCBSE boards.
Due to more than 140 colleges, the city is known as an educational hub in Marathwada. Many of the students studying in the colleges and the university are from nearby districts. Most colleges in Latur are affiliated with theNanded University. There is a sub-center of SRTMUN at Latur.
TheSandipani Technical Campus - Faculty of Engineering, Latur, founded in 2011 byShri. Vinodji Agrawal, is one of the leading engineering colleges in Marathwada. Along with Engineering Courses like Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, most demandingArtificial Intelligence and Data Science Engineering was also included recently in the college. Polytechnic courses of Civil, Computer and Mechanical are also available for the students of this region in this reputed college campus.
TheM. S. Bidve Engineering College, Latur, founded in 1983, is one of the oldest engineering colleges in Marathwada. TheMaharashtra Institute of Medical Science & Research Latur was founded in 1988 byVishwanath Karad.
TheBorder Security Force Training Centre,Chakur and the Disaster Management Training Institute were established in Latur in 2005 and 2008, respectively.
Dayanand Law College was established by the Dayanand Education Society. Established medical schools such as theGovernment Medical College, Manjara Ayurvedic College are present in the city.
Channabasweshwar Pharmacy College is a degree college that provides diploma, degree, and master courses in the pharmacy field. Other pharmacy colleges are Dayanand College of Pharmacy and Vilasrao Deshmukh College of Pharmacy.
Vilasrao Deshmukh Foundation's (VDF) College is a degree college that provides diploma, degree, and courses in the engineering and pharmacy field. Other pharmacy colleges are Dayanand College of Pharmacy and Vilasrao Deshmukh College of Pharmacy.
Rajarshi Shahu College, Latur, is a reputed college for undergraduate as well as post graduate education. It provides education in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Commerce.
Latur is home to a branch of theWestern India Regional Council of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India, along with an exam centre, Information Technology training lab, reading room, and a library for Chartered Accountants as well as for students.
Medical education is provided by theVilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College and Institute, a public institute of medicine under the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Maharashtra Academy for Education and Research (MAERS Pune) runs a private medical college known as Maharashtra Institute of Medical Sciences and ResearchMIMSR and Yeshwantrao Chavan Rural Hospital, Latur.
Engineering and technology education is provided bySandipani Technical Campus - Faculty of Engineering and Polytechnic, M.S. Bidve College of Engineering,Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic, andGovernment Residential Women's Polytechnic Latur.
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The city is a major sugarcane and edible oils,soybean, grapes and mango production centre. A fine blend of mango with locally grown mangoes was developed as Keshar Amba. Oil seeds were the major produce of the Latur region. So for benefit of farmersKeshavrao Sonavane had established Dalda Factory which was Asia's first oil mill set up on cooperative terms.[25]
Till 1990, Latur languished as a city, remaining an industrially backward. In 1960, region ofMarathwada was merged withMaharashtra. This was the time when the industrial development of the Marathwada region began, propelled through designated backward area benefits. Latur got its first MIDC setup during the tenure of then Co-operative ministerKeshavrao Sonavane. It was only when the MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) began acquiring land and setting up industrial estates that it began to grow. Many companies have manufacturing plants in Latur, in agriculture processing, edible oils, biotech, consumer durables, plastic processing, and aluminium processing; but the majority are small- and medium-scale agricultural industries, not industrial ones.
Latur has the largest trading centre for soybean in India. The green city is inside what is called 'Sugar Belt' of Maharashtra. The district has more than eleven sugar factories, which makes it among the highest sugar-producing districts of India. It also has oil seeds, commodities and fruit market.
Latur is also known for high quality grapes and houses many state and privately owned cold storage facilities. A grape wine park spread over 1.42 square kilometres (350 acres) has been established near Ausa, 18 km from Latur city. A brand new Latur Food Park, spread across 1.2 square kilometres (300 acres) is under construction at Additional MIDC Latur. Latur is major transport junction to south India.
The Latur region is known as the "Sugar Belt of India". This region houses over eleven large sugar factories. Most of the sugar factories of the Latur sugar belt work on theco-operative basis. Latur got its title "Sugar Belt of India" largely due to the efforts of its cooperative political leaderKeshavrao Sonawane, who was instrumental in setting up several co-operative institutions in Latur, Osmanabad, and elsewhere in Maharashtra.
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Latur is connected by roads with various major cities of Maharashtra and other states. Road connectivity is excellent, and roads connecting toMumbai,Pune,Nagpur,Nanded,Satara,Kolhapur,Sangli, andAurangabad are being widened to four-lane highways. Latur city has one national highway running through it,NH 361.
The Latur-Miraj Railway (metre gauge) ran for 391 miles (629 km) north-west from Latur city to Miraj on the south-western section of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and was built between 1929 and 1931. This railway service was closed after the gauge conversion of Miraj-Latur section from metre to broad gauge. The old and centrally located Latur Railway Station on metre gauge was abandoned thereafter.
The station (code:LUR) is located on the Latur-Miraj section of theSolapur railway division of theCentral Railway zone. The Manmad-Kacheguda broad-gauge railway line, which emanates from the Vikarabad-Latur-Road-Parli trunk route at Latur Road, is an important artery of traffic in Latur district. It also serves as a link between Aurangabad and Hyderabad.
Latur has rail connectivity with Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Manmad, Aurangabad, Nanded, Parbhani, Parli Vaijnath, Osmanabad, Mudkhed, Adilabad, Basar, Nizamabad, Nashik and Kacheguda.
The Miraj–Latur railway track is being electrified. Work is expected to be completed around 2024.
Latur has been blessed with the new Marathwada Railway Coach Factory being set up at Latur. Located near the Harangul Railway Station, the factory was set up by the Indian Railways' undertaking Rail Vikas Nigam LimitedRVNL in 2018. First coach shell was produced on 25 December 2020, on Good Governance Day.[26] The factory has been designed with an initial capacity of 250 MEMU/EMU/LHB coaches per annum.
A five km (3.1 mi) long railway line has also been provided from factory to new electronically interlocked harangul station, which earlier used to be a halt station only.
Places adjacent to Latur | |
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Latur city is situated inMarathwada region in southern part ofMaharashtra. Latur is 498 km from state capitalMumbai and 484 km fromwinter capitalNagpur(viaNanded,Yawatmal,Wardha).
Latur district topics | ||
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