Muthupet
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Muthupet
Pearlpet City | |
---|---|
Muthupet Exam Level Municipality town | |
UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
PIN | 614704 |
Area code | 04369 |
Vehicle registration | TN 50 |
Website | http://www.townpanchayat.in/muthupettai |
Muthupet is a panchayat town in the
Geography
Muthupet is a panchayat town in the Tiruvarur District. It is located between Thiruthuraipoondi and Pattukkotai, and around 360 km from Chennai. The town lies adjacent to the Bay of Bengal and is in the southernmost part of the Kaveri Delta. Muthupet is bordered by the Korayar and Bamaniyar rivers to the east and west respectively. The rivers Koriayar and Pamaniyar join near Muthupet, where a lagoon lies that is rich in fish.
Muthupet is a prominent location for fishing, pearl hunting, and bird hunting. Fishing industries are also prominent and produce finfish (koduva), shrimp and crab. A natural mangrove forest, Alayathi Kadu, is one of the largest of its kind in India.
In the early hours of 16 November 2018, Muthupet was heavily affected by Cyclone Gaja. Wind speed reached up to 140-160 kmph in Muthupet, devastating hundreds of huts and thousands of trees. Many houses were destroyed during the cyclone. As a result of over 500 electric poles and over 20 transformers falling down, Muthupet did not regain its power supply until 20 days after Cyclone Gaja struck.
Mangroves and lagoons
Muthupet mangrove forest is located at the southern end of the Kaveri delta, covering an area of approximately 13,500 ha of which only 4% is occupied by well-grown mangroves. The rivers Paminiyar, Koraiyar, Kilaithankiyar, Marakkakoraiyar and other tributaries of the river Kaveri flow through Muthupet and its adjacent villages. At the tail end, they form the Kaveri Lagoon before meeting the sea.
The northern and western borders of the lagoon are occupied by muddy silt ground which is devoid of mangroves. The mangroves beyond
The forest is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.[2] The mangrove forest is divided into the Palanjur, Thamarankottai, Maravakkadu, Vadakadu, Thuraikadu and Muthupet reserve forests.
Muthupet reserve forest covers the lagoon, river creeks and the mudflats. Muthupet Lagoon (Mullipallam) is a natural lagoon that is 8 km from nearby Muthupet town and can only be reached by boat. The lagoon is shallow with an average depth of 1 m. The bottom of the lagoon is formed of silt clay substratum. The tidal fluctuations can be observed by the exposure of oyster beds and roots during low tide.
These tidal fluctuations play a major role in dispersing mangrove seeds. Dense mangroves mostly cover the lagoon shore. Islets are found on the western side and submerged during high tide. The salinity is a major environmental factor that controls zonation of Muthupet mangrove forest. Avicennia marina is the single dominant plant species.
The southern mudflat separates the lagoon from the adjacent sea, which creates a permanent lagoon mouth with seasonal shallow waterways. The width of the mudflat increases from the lagoon mouth to the east. The mudflat is dry in summer, but the presence of dead gastropods under the surface soil layer and the erosion of soil at the centre of the mudflat cause the submergence of the mudflat during floods. The distance of the mangroves from the fluctuating water level differs between the lagoon shore and seashore of the same mudflat.
The mangroves have grown close to the water level at the lagoon side but not at the seashore. The reason may be the difference in the nature of fine clayey silt deposition that is carried by the rivers. The
At 100–150 m in width and 5–6 km in length, the density of mangroves in the eastern side of Muthupet lagoon is comparatively lower than other areas. Tamil Nadu Forest Department has excavated several canals across the mudflat. Each main canal, which enhances the water movement between sea and lagoon, has several sub canals on either side with a substantial number of mangrove seedlings. The western side has a protruding land pocket that has formed an islet-like structure. This part of the lagoon lies near Koraiyar river mouth with small mangrove patches.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1901 | 7,765 | — |
1911 | 8,515 | +9.7% |
1921 | 9,543 | +12.1% |
1931 | 10,323 | +8.2% |
1941 | 13,765 | +33.3% |
1951 | 14,878 | +8.1% |
1961 | 17,123 | +15.1% |
1971 | 19,232 | +12.3% |
1981 | 23,032 | +19.8% |
1991 | 28,545 | +23.9% |
2001 | 36,313 | +27.2% |
2011 | 41,722 | +14.9% |
Source: |
Muthupet has a population of 41,722. Males constitute 47% of the population and females 53%. Muthupet has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. Islam is the major religion, with an estimated 76.4% of the population being Muslims within the town.
Tamil is the official language and is predominantly spoken. The most commonly used dialect is the Central Tamil dialect.[4]
Utility services
Electricity supply to Muthupet is regulated and distributed by the
Muthupet comes under the Thanjavur Telecom circle of the
Economy
Economic activity in Muthupet includes coconut farming, and aqua farms.[further explanation needed] The traditional occupation of the local people is fishing, and there are two fish markets in town
The Muthupet Bazaar serves the town and its suburban villages.[citation needed]
Politics
Elected ward members
DMK - 9
SDPI - 4
ADMK - 3
INC - 1
BJP - 1
Infrastructure
The town houses a government hospital along with several private hospitals/clinics. The Muthupet police station serves the town as well as the surrounding villages. Government establishments like the post office, sub-registrar office, municipality office, village panchayat office, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, customs preventative unit and government library have their base in the town.
Muthupet has four petrol stations that sell
provide their services. In addition, wireless WI-FI connections named Med WI-FI are provided by the Med Group. The town also has a number of internet browsing cafes.Tourism
The 700-year-old Islamic shrine Muthupet Dargah of Andavar Sheikh Dawood Khamil Oliyullh was built using traditional architecture. People irrespective of caste, creed and religion visit this holy Dargah. Most visitors are from Kerala and Karnataka, although international visitors attend from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia.
Transport
The town is well connected via road and rail with major towns and cities in
Muthupet Railway Station is on the Karaikkudi-Thiruvarur broadguage line. Thiruvarur-Karaikudi-Thiruvarur rail has a daily service except on Sundays. The Ernakulam - Velankanni - Ernakulam express also operates on Sundays but there is no stop at Muthupet railway station. A Tri-weekly superfast express train operated between Tambaram - Sengottai - Tambaram through this route which provides Muthupet a direct connectiviy to the state capital by train. Muthupet town has connectivity with the (Hyderabad) state capital of Telangana through the train secunderabad - Rameswaram - Secunderabad as a weekly special service. As of November 2023 there is a special train making journeys through the thiruvarur - karaikudi section called Tirunelveli - Chennai Egmore - Tirnelveli weekly special connects Muthupet with the Tirunelveli.
The town used to be a small
By rail
City | Distance (in km) |
---|---|
Chennai | 371 |
Mumbai | 1655 |
Bangalore | 444 |
New Delhi | 2561 |
Pattukkottai | 21 |
Thiruvarur | 50 |
Adirai |
15 |
By road
City | Distance (in km) |
---|---|
Pattukkottai | 21 |
Thiruthuraipoondi | 23 |
Mannargudi | 34 |
Thiruvarur | 60 |
Thanjavur | 65 |
Nagapattinam | 65 |
Tiruchirappalli | 110 |
Chennai | 348 |
Coimbatore | 320 |
Thoothukudi | 275 |
Madurai | 165 |
Kilakarai | 160 |
Adirampattinam | 15 |
Kayalpattinam |
302 |
Vedaranyam | 40 |
- All are approximate distances.
Education
Muthupet has a number of
- Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Muthupet
- Winners Matriculation School, Alangadu , Muthupet
- K.A.P Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Muthupet
- மதியழங்காரம் தொடக்கப் பள்ளி , Near Arab shahib Masjid , Pettai Road , Muthupet
- Govt Middle School, Pettai
- Rahmath Girls Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Abdul Kasim Nagar , Pkt Road , Muthupet
- Brilliant Matriculation Higher Secondary School, PKT Road, Muthupet
- A.N. Aidded (SANGATH) Primary School, Pettai Road , Muthupet
- O.M.A School, O.M.A Garden, Jambavanodai, Muthupet
- Al'Maha Primary School, New Bus Stand
- New Street Govt Primary School, Old Bus Stand , Muthupet
- Saraswathi Vidhyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ecr-Mannai Salai , Muthupet
References
- ^ "District Collectors | Tamil Nadu Government Portal".
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Forest Department". Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ISBN 0195205219.
- ^ "Important Address" (PDF). Indian Wind Power Association. 2011. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ "State of Rural wireline broadband". Tamil Nadu: BSNL, Tamil Nadu Circle. 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.