Alathur

Alathur is a town and gram panchayat in the Palakkad District, state of Kerala, India.[1] It is the headquarters of the Alathur Taluk and is situated at the south west end of the district 24 km from the district headquarters at Palakkad. Alathur Taluk is predominantly rural and has an agricultural economy. It is located along the Coimbatore-Cochin national highway NH 47. Gayathripuzha, a tributary of Bharathapuzha, flows through Alathur.

This article is about the town in Kerala. For the village in Tamil Nadu, see Alathur, Thanjavur.
Alathur
Town
Anjumoorthy temple
Alathur
Location in Kerala, India
Alathur
Alathur (India)
Coordinates: 10°38′53″N 76°32′18″E
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictPalakkad
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
678541
Telephone code04922
Vehicle registrationKL-49
Nearest cityPalakkad
Lok Sabha constituencyAlathur
Vidhan Sabha constituencyAlathur

Economy

The main occupation in this area is agriculture. Rubber is grown on hilly land and rice paddies are located on the plains. Coconut, Ginger, banana, pumpkin, bitter gourd and eggplant are also grown.

There is very little industry in Alathur Taluk. Alathur town was once well known for its beedi cottage industry but production has declined due to anti-smoking efforts. Agarbatti is also produced by a cottage industry. Recently some industrial development such as steel smelting has arisen near Manjalur in Erimayur Panchayat. Historically there were a number of rice mills in the area but their numbers have declined.

Educational institutions

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.

  • Sree Narayana College, Alathur
  • BSS B.Ed College, Alathur

A S Mohammed Kutty Sahib Memorial High Secondary School (A S M M H S S) is a public institution which has been operating in the area for over a century. The school also houses a very old Gandhiji statue which has become a landmark.

The school was established by the Nellikkalidam Family (Swaroopm), and the School used to be called N.E. High School (NEHS), until being bought by Mr. Mohammad Kutty; later since the land reforms act, the swaroopam suffered financially and the school was bought by Mr. Mohammad Kutty, who has since then been running a Beedi 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. The Crescent 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.

Transportation

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 between Trissur and Palakkad.

Alathur does not have a railway connection due to the presence of the mountainous terrain at Kuthiran 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.

Healthcare

Alathur town has a Government-run Community Health Centre. The major private healthcare facility Crescent Hospital, which was established in 1997 and is a multi-speciality hospital with all basic medical departments and trauma care. That hospital also has psychiatric and geriatric facilities.

Panchayats in Alathur Taluk

Alathur is one of the six Taluks of Palakkad district.

Politics

The Alathur assembly constituency is part of the Alathur Lok Sabha constituency.[2]

References
  1. "Reports of National Panchayat Directory". Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  2. "Assembly Constituencies – Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
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