THOOTHUKUDI: The coastal town of Thoothukudi, carved out from Tirunelveli district on October 20,1986, completes 36 years of its formation on Thursday. In view of the anniversary, district collector Dr K Senthil Raj said a special grievance meet will be scheduled at all government offices.
"The petitions that are submitted will be addressed in two weeks' time, and welfare aid will be given in November. All government and private offices shall be cleaned through the day, and tree saplings should be planted to mark the day," read a statement.
Thoothukudi was named after VO Chidambaranar, a legendary freedom fighter, at the time it was bifurcated. However, the name was changed after its headquarters by 1997. Known as the Pearl city, the town was a part of the Pandiyan kingdom between 7th and 9th Century CE. The Chola empire controlled the region between the 9th and 12th century.
The Sea Gateway of Tamil Nadu has seen multiple invasions afterwards. The Portuguese were the first to colonise Thoothukudi in 1532. followed by the Dutch in 1658. The British seized power from the Dutch in 1782. It was known as the centre of the Indian Independence movement in the early 20th Century, contributing many freedom fighters.
The present day Thoothukudi has three revenue sub divisions, consisting of 10 taluks. The local bodies consist of one corporation, two municipalities, 12 panchayat unions, 19 town panchayats, 403 village panchayats, and 480 revenue villages fall under 41 firkas, a part of the revenue administration.
The district has six assembly constituencies - Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur, Sirvaikuntam Ottapidaram, Kovilpatti and Vilathikulam- and one parliamentary constituency. The region has a diverse topography with river plains along the Thamirabarani river, dry land tract in the northern part and teri red sand desert in the southern region. However, the forest area is only about 5.4% of the total area.