 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Alathur" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Alathur | |
|---|---|
 Alathur | |
  Alathur Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Alathur Alathur (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:10°38′53″N76°32′18″E / 10.64806°N 76.53833°E /10.64806; 76.53833 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Palakkad |
| Government | |
| • Type | Panchayati Raj (India) |
| • Body | Alathur Panchayat |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.62 km2 (7.58 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 26,720 |
| • Density | 1,361.88/km2 (3,527.3/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 678541 |
| Telephone code | 04922 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-49 |
| Nearest city | Palakkad |
| Parliament constituency | Alathur |
| Assembly constituency | Alathur |
Alathur is a town, taluk andgram panchayat inPalakkad District, Kerala, India.[2] It is the administrative headquarters of the AlathurTaluk and is situated about 24 km from the district headquartersPalakkad throughNational Highway 544.Gayathripuzha River, one of the tributary ofBharathapuzha, flows through Alathur.[3] Alathur is one among the 20 Parliamentary Constituencies inKerala.[4] A Mini Civil Station is also located here which provides government related services.[5]
The main occupation in this area is agriculture. Rubber is grown on hilly land andricepaddies are located on the plains. Coconut,Ginger,banana,pumpkin,bitter gourd andeggplant are also grown.
There is very little industry in Alathur Taluk. Alathur town was once well known for itsbeedicottage industry but production has declined due to anti-smoking efforts.Agarbatti is also produced by the cottage industry. Recently some industrial development such as steel smelting has arisen nearManjalur inErimayur Panchayat. Historically there were a number of rice mills in the area but their numbers have declined.
As of2011 Census, Alathur had a population of 26,720 with 12,808 males and 13,912 females. Alathur census town has an area of 19.62 km2 (7.58 sq mi) with 6,096 families residing in it. 11% of the population was under 6 years of age. Alathur had an average literacy of 89.95% higher than the national average of 74.04% and lower than state average of 94.00%; male literacy was 95.14% and female literacy was 85.27%.[6]
There are a number of schools up to the higher secondary level within Alathur Taluk. There are two colleges for arts and science and one engineering college.
A S Mohammed Kutty Sahib Memorial High Secondary School (A S M M H S S) is a public institution that has been operating in the area for over a century. The school also houses a very oldGandhiji statue which has become a landmark.
The school was established by theNellikkalidam Family (Swaroopm), and the School used to be calledN.E. High School (NEHS), until being bought by Mr.Mohammad Kutty; later since the land reforms act, theswaroopam suffered financially and the school was bought by Mr. Mohammad Kutty, who has since then been running aBeedi rolling business
BSS Gurukulam Higher Secondary School, is also located here.
Located Taluk Hospital at Alathur town, Healthcare Professional Institution in Alathur is established by Crescent Medical Centre Ltd. TheCrescent School of Nursing was started in 2001 and Crescent College of Nursing was started in 2005. The Crescent Nursing Institution runs General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM) Diploma course and BSc. Nursing Degree Course.
The National Highway No.544 passes through the entire length of Alathur Taluk. Because of this, the region is well connected by road to all parts of Kerala including the state capital. A number of private and government buses ply on this road betweenThrissur andPalakkad.
Alathur does not have a railway connection due to the presence of the mountainous terrain atKuthiran towards Trissur. A recent government decision to revive an old plan to construct the Kollengode–Trissur railway line may come as a blessing to Alathur.
Alathur town has a Government-run Community Health Centre. The major private healthcare facilityCrescent Hospital, which was established in 1997 and is a multi-specialty hospital with all basic medical departments and trauma care. That hospital also has psychiatric and geriatric facilities.
Alathur is one of the six Taluks ofPalakkad district.
The Alathur assembly constituency is part of theAlathur Lok Sabha constituency.[7]
Alathur assembly constituency (A.C.) elects one representative to the Kerala state assembly (Vidhan Sabha). It has approximately 150,000 (1.5lakh) registered voters.[when?] Elected members have most often been from theCommunist Party of India (Marxist).[8]
