Coimbatore
| Coimbatore கோயம்புத்தூர் Kovai |
|
|---|---|
| Metropolitan City | |
Clockwise from top: Avinashi Road, Perur Pateeswarar Temple, Victoria Town Hall, Sungam flyover, PSG College of Technology, Ukkadam Periyakulam Lake
|
|
| Nickname(s): Manchester of South India | |
Coimbatore
|
|
| Coordinates: 11°1′6″N 76°58′21″ECoordinates: 11°1′6″N 76°58′21″E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Region | Kongu Nadu |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | CCMC |
| • Mayor | Ganapathy P Rajkumar |
| • Corporation Commissioner | Dr K Vijay Karthikeyan, IAS |
| Area | |
| • Metropolitan City | 246.75 km2 (95.27 sq mi) |
| • Metro[1] | 642.12 km2 (247.92 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 411.2 m (1,349.1 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Metropolitan City | 1,050,721 |
| • Metro[1][2] | 2,151,466 |
| Demonym(s) | Coimbatorean |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 641XXX |
| STD Code | +91-422 |
| Vehicle registration | TN 37 (South), TN 38 (North), TN 66 (Central), TN 99 (West) |
| Website | www |
|
Area Note 1: The pre expansion area of city limits was 105.6
sq.km. The 2010 expansion order added 12 local bodies and increased the
total area to 265.36 sq.km. However in 2011, three of the local bodies
were dropped from the expansion and two more added instead. Those
removed were – Vellalore (16.64 sq.km), Chinniampalayam (9.27 sq.km) and Perur (6.40sq.km). Those added were – Vellakinar (9.20) and Chennavedampatti (4.5). So the actual area post expansion is 246.75 sq. km.[3][4][5][6] Population Note 1: The census 2011 data is available only for pre expansion city limits.[7] For the expanded city limits only 2001 census data is available. Pre expansion the population was 930882.[4] After the 2010 expansion GO, the population became 1262122.[4] But after the small changes mentioned in the previous note were made, the 2001 population figure was 1250446.[3][8] However the 2011 census data for the urban agglomeration is available and has been provided.[7] |
|
Coimbatore was the capital city of the historical Kongu Nadu and was ruled by the Cheras as it served as the eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap, the principal trade route between the west coast and Tamil Nadu.[16] Coimbatore was in the middle of the Roman trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu in South India.[17][18] The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE.[19][20] The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century followed by the Nayaks who introduced the Palayakkarar system under which Kongu nadu region was divided into 24 Palayams.[21] In the later part of the 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and following the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai.[22] In 1804, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1866 it was accorded municipality status with Robert Stanes as its Chairman.[23][24][25] The city experienced a textile boom in the early 19th century due to the decline of the cotton industry in Mumbai.[26] Post independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation.
Coimbatore was ranked the best emerging city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey.[27] The city has been ranked 4th among Indian cities in investment climate by CII[28] and ranked 17th among the top global outsourcing cities by Tholons.[29]
Contents
Etymology
There are multiple theories regarding the origin of the name. According to one theory, Coimbatore is a derivation of Kovanputhur (literally 'new town of Kovan'), after chieftain Kovan or Koyan, who ruled the region around the city. Kovanputhur evolved into Koyambatoor, which was anglicized as Coimbatore.[30] Another theory states that the name could have been derived from Koniamman. Koyamma, the goddess worshiped by Koyan evolved into Kovaiamma and later Koniamma.[31]History
Main article: History of Coimbatore
The Sugarcane Breeding Institute at Coimbatore, 1928
In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore, following a series of wars with the Madurai Nayak Dynasty. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The Coimbatore region played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai.[22] In 1804, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1866 it was accorded municipality status.[23][24] Sir Robert Stanes became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council.[25] The region was hard hit during the Great Famine of 1876–78 resulting in nearly 200,000 famine related fatalities. The city experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale on February 8, 1900.[33] The first three decades of the 20th century saw nearly 20,000 plague-related deaths and an acute water shortage.[34][35]
The city experienced an economical boom in the 1920s and 1930s due to the decline of the cotton industry in Mumbai.[26] The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.[36] Post independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation and in 1981, Coimbatore was constituted as a corporation.[37] On February 14, 1998, the radical Islamist group Al Ummah bombed 11 places across the city killing 58 people and injuring more than 200.[38]
Geography
Main article: Geography of Coimbatore
Western Ghats along the Coimbatore-Palghat National Highway
The city is divided into two distinctive regions: the dry eastern side which includes majority of the urban area of the city and the western region which borders the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Munnar ranges. Palghat Gap, a mountain pass which connects the neighboring state of Kerala to Tamil Nadu lies to the west of the city. Because of its location in biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats, it is rich in fauna and flora. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbors around 116 species of birds of which, 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants.[45] The spot-billed pelican, painted stork, openbill stork, ibis, spot-billed duck, teal and black-winged stilt visit the Coimbatore wetlands on their migration.[39] Apart from the species common to the plains, various threatened and endangered species such as Indian elephants, wild boars, leopards, Bengal tigers, gaurs, Nilgiri tahr, sloth bear and black-headed oriole are found in the region.[46]
The northern part of the city has a rich tropical evergreen forest with commercially significant trees such as teak, sandalwood, rosewood and bamboo. The soil is predominantly black, which is suitable for cotton cultivation, but some red loamy soil is also found. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, Coimbatore falls under the Class III/IV Seismic Zone, having experienced a 6.0 Richter scale earthquake in 1900.[33]
Climate
Coimbatore has a pleasant, salubrious climate due to its proximity to thickly forested mountain ranges and the cool breeze blowing through the Palghat gap which makes the consistently hot temperatures pleasant.[40] Under the Köppen climate classification, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season being from October to December due to the northeast monsoon. Coimbatore is located at an elevation of about 411 meters.[39] The mean maximum and minimum temperatures varies between 35 °C (95 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F).[47] highest temperature ever recorded is 41 °C (106 °F) and lowest is 8 °C (46 °F).[48]Due to the presence of the mountain pass, more elevated parts of the district benefit from the south-west monsoon in the months from June to August. After a warm, humid September, the main monsoon starts from October lasting till early November. These monsoons are brought about by the retreating monsoon. The average annual rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 in) with the North East and the South West monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall.[47] This rainfall is not enough to sustain the needs of the city for the entire year and the shortage is made up through water supply schemes like Siruvani, Pilloor and Athikadavu.[49][50]
| [hide]Climate data for Coimbatore (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.6 (96.1) |
37.6 (99.7) |
39.7 (103.5) |
40.3 (104.5) |
40.4 (104.7) |
38.6 (101.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
35.7 (96.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
36.1 (97) |
34.4 (93.9) |
35.0 (95) |
40.3 (104.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) |
33.3 (91.9) |
35.9 (96.6) |
36.7 (98.1) |
35.2 (95.4) |
32.2 (90) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.5 (90.5) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
29.3 (84.7) |
32.5 (90.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.3 (70.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
12.8 (55) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.8 (64) |
16.1 (61) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.2 (63) |
17.8 (64) |
15.0 (59) |
13.9 (57) |
12.2 (54) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 5.4 (0.213) |
13.0 (0.512) |
15.1 (0.594) |
48.0 (1.89) |
71.2 (2.803) |
27.4 (1.079) |
35.5 (1.398) |
35.5 (1.398) |
74.3 (2.925) |
123.1 (4.846) |
122.2 (4.811) |
46.0 (1.811) |
606.0 (23.858) |
| Average rainy days | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 7.4 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 38.3 |
| Source: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[51][52] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| [show]Historical population |
|---|
As per the 2001 census,[57] Coimbatore had a population of 1,565,797 within Municipal Corporation limits.[3][4][8] The population of the urban agglomeration as per 2011 census is 2,151,466.[1] In the urban agglomeration, males constitute 50.08% of the population and females 49.92%. Coimbatore has an average literacy rate of 89.23%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male literacy is 93.17% and female literacy is 85.3% with 8.9% of the population under 6 years of age. The Sex ratio was 964 females per 1000 males.[58] In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 265.9 per 100,000 people, accounting for 1.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India. It ranked 21st among 35 major cities in India in the incidence of crimes.[59] In 2011, the population density in the city was 10,052 per km2 (26,035 per mi2).[7]
The population is dominated by the Vettuva Gounder community.[60][61]The city's population is predominantly Hindu with minor Muslim population.[62] Christians, Sikhs and Jains are also present in small numbers.[8][63][64] Tamil is the official language and Kongu Tamil (also called Kangee), a dialect is predominantly spoken.[65] or "Kongalam"[66] Coimbatore also has a significant number of Kannadigas, Telugus,[67] Malayalis[68][69][70] and North Indians,[71] mainly Gujaratis,[72] who are engaged in trade and commerce. During the 1970s the city witnessed a population explosion as a result of migration fueled by increased economic growth and job opportunities.[54][73] Around 8% of the city's population lives in slums.[74]
Administration and politics
Main articles: Administration of Coimbatore and Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation
|
Corporation officials
|
Logo of Coimbatore Corporation
Race Course Road, Coimbatore
Coimbatore elects ten members to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and one member to the Indian Parliament. The five legislative assembly constituencies in the city are Coimbatore North, Coimbatore South, Kaundampalayam, Singanallur and Sulur. All five are part of the Coimbatore Parliamentary Constituency. Till 2009, there were only four assembly constituencies in Coimbatore – Coimbatore East, Coimbatore West, Singanallur, and Perur. Also about 20% of the urban agglomeration came under the Nilgiris constituency which runs into the northern part of the city and about 10% came under the Pollachi constituency. In the Indian general election held in 2014, AIADMK candidate A.P. Nagarajan defeated C. P. Radhakrishnan of the BJP in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.[84] In the last legislative assembly election held in 2011, the AIADMK led front won in all five assembly constituencies.[85]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Coimbatore
Lakshmi Mills was one of the earliest textile mills in Coimbatore
Tidel Park, one of the largest IT parks in the state
CODISSIA Trade Centre, Coimbatore
Coimbatore region experienced a textile boom in the 1920s and 1930s.[26] Though, Robert Stanes had established Coimbatore's first textile mills as early as the late 19th century, it was during this period that Coimbatore emerged as a prominent industrial center. Coimbatore has trade associations such as CODISSIA, COINDIA, SITRA and COJEWEL representing industries in the city. Coimbatore also has a 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) trade fair ground, built in 1999. It was named COINTEC due to its hosting of INTEC (Small Industries Exhibition). The Trade Fair complex, one of the country's largest, was built in six months, and is owned by CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association).[92] It is also the country's largest pillar-free hall, according to the Limca Book of Records.[93] Coimbatore houses a large number of medium and large textile mills. It also has central textile research institutes like the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) and Sardar Vallabhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management. The South Indian Textiles Research Association (SITRA) is also based in Coimbatore. The city also houses two of the Centers of Excellences (COE) for technical textiles proposed by Government of India, namely Meditech, a medical textile research centre based at SITRA, and InduTech based in PSG College of Engineering and Technology.[94] The neighbouring city of Tirupur is home to some of Asia’s largest garment manufacturing companies, exporting hosiery clothes worth more than ₹ 50,000 million.
The city is the second largest software producer in Tamil Nadu, next only to Chennai. IT and BPO industry in the city has grown greatly with the launch of TIDEL park and other planned IT parks in and around the city. It is ranked at 17th among the global outsourcing cities.[29] Companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant Technology Solutions, IBM, Robert Bosch GmbH, Ford, Cameron International Corporation, Dell, Wipro, HCL are having a presence in the city. Coimbatore is already the second largest hub in India for Cognizant Technology Solutions as it employs around 5000 people in its Coimbatore centre and is planning to double its capacity here.[95] Software exports stood at ₹ 710.66 Crores (7.1 billion) for the financial year 2009–10 up 90% from the previous year.[96] Apart from this, there are also lots of healthcare BPOs (Medical Transcription, Coding and Billing) in and around Coimbatore serving the US Healthcare industry. Coimbatore has a large and a diversified manufacturing sector facilitated by the presence of research institutes like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, SITRA and large number of engineering colleges producing about 50,000 engineers annually.[97]
Coimbatore is one of major manufacturers of automotive components in India with car manufacturers Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors sourcing up to 30% of their automotive components from the city. G.D. Naidu developed India's first indigenous motor in 1937.[98][99] India's first indigenously developed diesel engines for cars was manufactured in the city in 1972.[15] The city also has a number of tier-I, II and III suppliers catering to the needs of the entire gamut of the automobile industry, ranging from two-wheelers and four-wheelers to commercial vehicles and tractors.[100] Coimbatore has more than 700 wet grinder manufacturers with a monthly output 75,000 units as of March, 2005 [101] and the term "Coimbatore Wet Grinder" has been given a Geographical indication.[15][102]
Coimbatore is also referred to as "the Pump City" as it supplies two thirds of India's requirements of motors and pumps.[15] The city is one of the largest exporters of jewellery[13] renowned for making cast jewellery and machine made jewellery . It is also a major diamond cutting center in South India.[103][104][105][106] The city is home to about 3000 jewellery manufacturing companies and to over 40,000 goldsmiths.[107][108][109]
Coimbatore has a large number of poultry farms and is one of the major producers of chicken eggs and processed meat amounting to nearly 95% of the chicken meat exports from the country.[14] Coimbatore has some of the oldest flour mills in India. The large scale flour mills, which cater to all the southern states, have a combined grinding capacity of more than 50,000 MT per month. In the recent years, the city has seen growth in the hospitality industry with more upscale hotels being set up.[110][111][112][113][114] Coimbatore is the largest non-metro city for e-commerce in South India.[115]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Coimbatore
Coimbatore and its people have a reputation for entrepreneurship.[116][117]
Though it is generally considered a traditional city, Coimbatore is
more diverse and cosmopolitan than other cities in Tamil Nadu.[71][116] The city conducts its own music festival every year.[118] Art, dance and music concerts are held annually during the months of September and December (Tamil calendar month – Margazhi).[119] The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was held in Coimbatore.[120][121] The heavy industrialisation of the city has also resulted in the growth of trade unions.[122]Religion
The city's population is predominantly Hindu with minor Muslim population. Christians, Sikhs and Jains are also present in small numbers. There are numerous Hindu temples in and around the city including the Perur Patteeswarar Temple, Naga Sai Mandir, Konniamman temple, Thandu Mariamman temple, Vazhai Thottathu Ayyan temple, ISKCON Temple, Eachanari Vinayagar Temple, Karamadai temple, Marudamalai Murugan temple, Loga Nayaga Shani Eswaran shrine, Ashtamsa Varadha Anjaneyar Temple, Panchamuga Anjaneya temple, Anuvavi Subramaniar Temple and Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple.[123] The Mariamman festivals, at the city’s numerous Amman temples, are major events in summer.[124]The mosques on Oppanakara Street and Big Bazaar Street date back to the period of Hyder Ali.[125] Christian missions date back to 1647 when permission was granted by the Nayak rulers to set up a small church in Karumathampatti 12 km (7.5 mi). Sikh Gurudwaras and Jain Temples are also present in Coimbatore.
Media and communication
Main article: Media in Coimbatore
Four major English newspapers The Hindu,The Times of India, Deccan Chronicle and The New Indian Express bring out editions from the city. Business Line, a business newspaper also brings out a Coimbatore edition. Tamil newspapers which have Coimbatore editions include Dina Malar, Dina Thanthi, Dina Mani, Dinakaran (all morning newspapers) and Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar (both evening newspapers). Two Malayalam newspapers – Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi also have considerable circulation in the city.A Medium wave radio station is operated by All India Radio, with most programs in Tamil, English and Hindi. Five FM radio stations operate from Coimbatore – Rainbow FM from All India Radio, Suryan FM[126] from Sun Network,[127] Radio Mirchi,[128] Radio City, and Hello FM.[129][130] All these private radio stations air exclusively Tamil based programs, including film music. The range of these stations cover Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and Nilgiri districts of Tamil Nadu and Palakkad and Wayanad districts of Kerala. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan commenced. The people of Coimbatore witnessed the 1980 Olympics and 1983 Cricket World Cup on a giant screen in VOC Park when the city-based UMS developed a dish antenna for satellite signal reception. Currently television reception is through DTH or by cable, while Doordarshan reception is still available using an external antenna. In 2005, Doordarshan opened its studio in Coimbatore.[131]
Coimbatore has a well connected communications infrastructure. Till the 1990s the state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was the only telecommunition service provider in the city. In the 1990s, private telecom companies too started offering their services. Currently besides BSNL, fixed line telephone services are offered by Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel. Dial up internet connections were first introduced (by HCL and BPL) in 1996 and broadband internet (by BSNL) in 2005. As of 2010, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices all offer broadband service through fixed lines and mobiles; MTS offers mobile broadband alone.[132] Cellular telephony was first introduced in 1997.[133] Coimbatore is the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu circle of cellular service providers.[134] Mobile telephone services available in the city include both CDMA and GSM connections.
Coimbatore is home to some of the oldest film studios in South India. Swamikannu Vincent, a film exhibitor, set up the first movie studios in the city.[135] Rangaswamy Naidu established the Central Studios in 1935 while S. M. Sriramulu Naidu set up the Pakshiraja Studios in 1945.[136]
Cuisine
See also: Tamil cuisine
Coimbatore cuisine is predominantly south Indian with rice
as its base. However, the population of Coimbatore is multi-cultural
due to the influx of migrant population from various regions of the
country. Most locals still retain their rural flavour, with many
restaurants serving food over a banana leaf. North Indian, Chinese and continental cuisines are also available. Mysore pak (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee), idly, dosa, Halwa
(a sweet made of different ingredients like milk, wheat, rice). The
Annapoorna Gowrishankar Hotels are known for its unique taste of Sambar.
Biryani is also popular among the locals. Apart from this Coimbatore
has a very active street food culture, thanks to the migratory North
Indian population that settled down here a few generation ago. Kaalaan
is a dish that originated in Coimbatore and is prepared by simmering
deep fried mushrooms (usually chopped mushroom) in a spicy broth, until it reaches a porridge like consistency and served sprinkled with chopped onions and coriander leaves.Transport
Main article: Transport in Coimbatore
A view of Coimbatore International Airport
Mettupalayam Road Bus Station, all north bound buses towards Nilgiris district start from here
A intra city bus operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation
Coimbatore North flyover
Sungam bypass flyover above Ukkadam-Valankulam Lake
Air
The city is served by the Coimbatore International Airport at Peelamedu 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city. The Coimbatore International Airport caters to domestic flights to major Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Vijayawada etc., and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore. According to statistics available with the AAI, 12,95,977 passengers were flown from and to Coimbatore in 2013-14, including 11,76,428 domestic and 1,19,549 international passengers.[137] Its runway is 9,760 feet (2,970 m) in length and is capable of handling wide-bodied and fat-bellied aircraft used for international flights.[138] Sulur Air Force Station, located at Kangayampalayam near the periphery of the city, is an air base of the Indian Air Force. Air Carnival, a proposed airline promoted by the CMC group is expected to commence operations in April 2015 with the Coimbatore International Airport as the hub.[139]Rail
Train service in Coimbatore started in 1863, upon construction of the Podanur – Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India.[40] Broad gauge trains connect Coimbatore to all parts of India and Tamil Nadu. Meter gauge line existed between Podanur and Dindigul got closed on May 2009 and is under gauge conversion. The Coimbatore Junction is well connected to all the major Indian cities. The Coimbatore Junction comes under the Jurisdiction of the Salem Division and contributes 43.5% of its divisional income. This is the second largest income generating station in the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways after Chennai Central. Coimbatore North Junction is another important railway junction in the city apart from Coimbatore Junction and Podanur Junction. The other stations include Peelamedu, Singanallur, Irugur, Perianaikanpalayam, Madukkarai, Somanur and Sulur Road. There is also a bypass line between Irugur and Podanur which is used by some Kerala-bound trains which do not enter Coimbatore city.Monorail
Main article: Coimbatore Monorail
Three monorail routes have been proposed. Two circular routes, in the
northern and southern parts of the city and a dual linear line
connecting the Eastern and Western parts. The Northern Route starts from
Gandhipuram via Ganapathy, Sivanandha colony, Saibaba colony, RS Puram, Townhall, City Railway Station and ends in Gandhipuram. The second circular Route starts from Podanur via Trichy Road, Sungam, Redfields, Race Course, City Railway Station, Ukkadam and ends at Podanur. A linear line was also proposed from Chinniampalayam, Coimbatore International Airport, CODISSIA, PSG Tech, Lakshmi Mills, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore North Junction, Cowley Brown Road and TNAU. Recently Vadavalli and Thondamuthur are the two new areas that has been included in the linear line as part of the phase extension.[140][141]Road
There are six major arterial roads in the city: Avinashi Road, Trichy Road, Sathyamangalam Road, Mettupalayam Road, Palakkad Road and Pollachi Road. There are three National Highways passing through the city:- NH-47 – Salem to Kanyakumari (via Palakkad, Kochi, Kollam, Trivandrum)
- NH-67 – Nagapattinam to Gundlupet (via Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Karur, Udagamandalam)
- NH 209 – Dindigul to Bangalore (via Palani, Pollachi, Sathyamangalam, Chamrajnagar, Kollegal)
| Bus station | Services |
| Gandhipuram Central | Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Gobichettipalayam, Sathyamangalam, Mettur dam etc. |
| Gandhipuram Town | Town services |
| Singanallur | Madurai, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam etc. |
| Ukkadam | Palakkad, Palani, Pollachi, Udumalpet etc. |
| Coimbatore North (Mettupalayam Road) | Mettupalayam, Ooty, Mysore etc.[142][143][144] |
| SETC, Gandhipuram | Express buses to Chennai, Ernakulam, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Puducherry, Thiruvananthapuram etc. |
| Omni Bus Stand, Gandhipuram | Private mofussil buses.[145] |
Education
PSG College of Technology in Peelamedu, Coimbatore
The first college opened in Coimbatore was the Government Arts College (1875–76).[156] The forest college and research institute was opened in 1916. The first engineering college in the city was started by G.D. Naidu as the Arthur Hope College of Technology in 1945. Later it became the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. PSG College of Technology was established later in 1951. The Air Force Administrative College was established in 1949 to train Indian Air Force personnel. Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) was started in the 1950s. Coimbatore Medical College was opened in 1966 and the Government law college started functioning from 1978. The agricultural school established in 1868 was converted into a full-fledged agricultural university (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) in 1971 and the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History was opened in 1990. Several private engineering and arts & science colleges were started during the education boom in the 1990s.
In 1867, the first group of students appeared for the SSLC Examinations from Coimbatore. Presently there are three types of schools in Coimbatore – 1) government run schools (corporation schools) 2) schools funded by the government but run by private trusts (aided schools) and 3) schools funded and administered by private trusts. They are classified as Tamil Nadu Anglo Indian School Board, Tamil Nadu State Board, Matriculation and CBSE schools according to the syllabus taught in them. The Coimbatore Education District (not the same as the revenue district) is the unit of administration for education in the city. In 2010, the number of students who wrote the SSLC (Standard 10) and Higher Secondary (Standard 12) examinations was both around 30,000.[157][158] The literacy rate in the city is 80%.[40]
Welfare
Healthcare
The size of the Coimbatore health care industry has been estimated as ₹1500 Crore (150 million) in 2010.[159] There are nearly 750 hospitals in and around Coimbatore with a capacity of 5000 beds.[160] The first health care centre in the city was started in 1909. In 1969, it was upgraded to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). It is a government run hospital with a bed strength of 1020 and provides free health care.[161] Including the CMCH, corporation maintains 16 dispensaries and 2 maternity homes.[40] The city also has many large multi-facility private hospitals like the PSG Hospitals, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH), KG Hospital, Coimbatore Kidney Centre, G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital(GKNM), Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, Sheela Hospital, Kongunadu Hospital, Gem Hospital, Ganga Hospital, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara Netralaya, Sankara Eye Centre, Lotus Eye Hospital, Ashwin Hospital, Vikram ENT Hospital, Sheela Hospital, Coimbatore Cancer Foundation, G. P. Hospital, Dr Muthus Hospital, Diabetes Care and Research Centre. The city is also a major centre for medical tourism.[162][163][164] The city remains the preferred healthcare destination for people from nearby districts and also from the neighboring state of Kerala.[165]Sports
A typical raceday scene at Kari Motor Speedway
Cross-cut road in Gandhipuram, one of the largest shopping hubs in Coimbatore
Nehru Stadium, built originally for football also hosts athletic meets. The stadium has been renovated with Korean grass for the field and a synthetic track around it for athletics.[171] Apart from the stadium, the city also has several sports clubs including Coimbatore Golf Club, home to a major 18-hole golf course [172] and Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club, which is more than 100 years old,[173] was founded for Indian members only, in response to the English Coimbatore Club which did not admit Indians until the 1950s. Coimbatore Flying Club is located in the Coimbatore airport premises.[174] The city hosts its own annual marathon called Coimbatore Marathon as an event to raise cancer awareness.[175] Retired tennis player Nirupama Vaidyanathan, who became the first Indian woman in the modern era to feature and win a round at a main draw Grand Slam, beating Italy's Gloria Pizzichini in 1998 Australian Open hails from Coimbatore.[176]
Recreation
Main article: Entertainment in Coimbatore
Swamikannu Vincent built the first cinema of South India
in Coimbatore and introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a
tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to a town or village to
screen the films.[177] Coimbatore also houses a number of museums and art galleries like G.D. Naidu Museum & Industrial Exhibition, H A Gass Forest Museum, Government Museum, Kadhi Gandhi Gallery and Kasthuri Srinivasan Art Gallery and Textile Museum.[178][179][180][181]There are several amusement parks in and around the city namely, Black Thunder water theme park near Mettupalayam, Kovai Kondattam amusement park at Perur and Maharaja Theme Park at Nillambur. [182] Since the 1980s, the city has had a few small shopping complexes.[183] Lately, malls have come up including Brookefields Mall and Fun Republic Mall.[184] The city also has a number of parks including VOC park, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University park, Race Course children's park, Bharathi park in Saibaba Colony and many more parks. Coimbatore Zoo houses a number of animals and birds and is located near VOC park.[185] Singanallur lake is a popular tourist place and bird watcher destination.[186] Though there are a lot of entertainment centres mushrooming in the city, visiting the cinema still remains the city's most popular recreational activity.[187]
Environmental issues
Air pollution, lack of proper waste management infrastructure and degradation of water bodies are the major environmental issues in Coimbatore. Coimbatore has no proper underground drainage or sewage system. There is a sewage treatment plant at Ukkadam in operation with the capacity to process 70 mld of sewage water of which 20 mld is the current treating level.[188][189] Garbage is collected by the Corporation[190] and sometimes by systems developed by the local residents. Sewage is pumped into the water tanks and the Noyyal through streams. This along with garbage dumping and encroachments has led to degradation of the water bodies and depletion in the groundwater table.[191][192][193] The tanks are renovated by the city's environmental groups with their own fund-raising and the corporation.[194][195] Siruthuli,[196] an environmental organisation founded by the city's industrial houses, undertakes de-silting of tanks and cleaning of the Noyyal river.[197] The corporation is also taking efforts to clear encroachment of the tanks.[198][199]International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Coimbatore has sister city relationships with the following cities of the world.| Country | City | State / Region | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
Toledo[200][201] |  Ohio |
2010 |
2. Many schools have been established under the enlightenment of Swami to help children understand human values along with attaining academic excellence.
ReplyDeletemadhusudan naidu
madhusudan naidu muddenahalli
2. Many schools have been established under the enlightenment of Swami to help children understand human values along with attaining academic excellence.
ReplyDeletemadhusudan naidu
madhusudan naidu muddenahalli