Kovaipudur
| Kovaipudur கோவைபுதூர் | |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | |
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Skyline of Kovaipudur | |
| Coordinates: 10°56′12″N 76°57′4″E / 10.93667°N 76.95111°ECoordinates: 10°56′12″N 76°57′4″E / 10.93667°N 76.95111°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Coimbatore District |
| Metro | Coimbatore |
| Time zone | +5.30GMT |
| PIN | 641042 |
| Telephone code | +91-422 |
| Vehicle registration | TN-99 |
Kovaipudur is a large township at the foot hills of the Western Ghats, located in the City of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) of Coimbatore West (TN 99) is located at Kovaipudur. It is sometimes known as Little Ooty due to its cool climate and serene environment, and was set up sometime in late seventies. Today this township has about 7500 families, three arts colleges, two engineering colleges, a polytechnic and a handful of schools. Kovaipudur is a 6-minute drive from Ukkadam, a 12-minute drive from R.S Puram and a 15 Minute Drive from Gandhipuram. Many small colonies have also come up around Kovaipudur in recent times. Kovaipudur has come under the Corporation of Coimbatore.
Location
Kovaipudur lies at the mouth of the Palghat Pass and at the south western fringe of the Coimbatore city, bordering the Western Ghats at the foothills of the Madukkarai range in Coimbatore and the Walayar ranges in Kerala. Kovaipudur has mainly scrub vegetation as these hills make it a rainshadow area. The mean temperature is significantly lower than Coimbatore city.
There is a police training academy, along with numerous schools and colleges. Shanti Ashram, a renowned social organization of the region. Kovaipudur has a huge playground where sports like Cricket, Football, Volleyball and lots of other sports are played everyday by school and college students and even middle aged people. There is also an integrated township with a golf course.
A small park by the name 'Semmozhi Poonga' was opened for the general public. Many people come to the park for walking.
Religious Places
As the large majority of the population is Hindu, there are many Hindu temples like Perumal temple, Nagapillayar, Kasi Visalakshi, Sundara Vinayagar, Sri Gopalaswamy, Sri Ragavendraswamy and Lord Ayyapa. In addition, there are Infant Jesus Church,[1] IPA Faith City Church, CSI Christ Church, few other protestant churches and a masjid.
Schools
T.V.Sekharan Memorial Matriculation Hr.sec.school(day cum boarding school)which is one of the most famous matric school in kovaipudur locality since 25 years- www.tvsmschoolcbe.com
CS Academy School,Zion School,Ashram School, RKV School, Gurukul School, MAS Kids Pre School, Dora Montesssori School
Colleges
- VLB Arts and Science
- Sri Krishna College of Technology formerly known as V. L. B. Janakiammal College of Engineering and Technology
- CBM College of Arts and Science.[2]
- Sri Krishna Polytechnic college
- Sri Krishna Adithya College of Arts and Science
Facilities
Banks
Many nationalised and new generation Private sector banks have their presence in Kovaipudur. City Union Bank, State Bank of India, State Bank of Hyderabad, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank and Karur Vysya Bank have their full-fledged banking operations along with onsite ATMs in Kovaipudur. KVB in Kovaipudur is a 365-day banking branch extending banking services to general public on Sundays as well. The 3rd Largest Private Sector bank in India - Axis Bank Limited has opened its branch in Kovaipudur - Inside Sri Krishna College Campus recently. (Oct 2015). It also has an onsite ATM as well. Recently , United Bank Of India has opened their branch in Kovaipudur. Indian Bank has also opened a branch in Kovaipudur and it is located near the Nilagiris along with an onsite ATM.
ATMs
In addition to the ATMs of the above banks, stand alone ATMs of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda are there. Canara Bank has maximum number of ATMs in Kovaipudur. (Currently 3#s). Indian Bank also has an onsite ATM in Kovaipudur.
Supermarkets
Nilgiris 1905[3] have their outlets here nearby T V Sekharan school Santhai (flea market)assembles every Thursday in a ground nearby Pentecostal church.
Media
Kovaipudur is also used as a shooting spot for the Vikram starrer 10 enradhukulla in November 2014.
Food
Due to a large student population staying in rooms here, many eating joints have come up catering to their taste. Surya hotel, Lakshmi mess,Hotel Gowri,Indica Fast Foods,Tamizhagam,Kovai Food City,Amma Unavagam,Ooty Restaurant are some of the hotels situated in kovaipudur.
Hospitals
K J Hospital and Priya Hospital offers 24x7 service with many consulting doctors visiting frequently. Pharmacy chains: Apollo Pharmacy,Thulasi Pharmacy and Wellness Pharmacy chain have franchisees here.
Bus routes
3D,3H 3N, 3M, 118, S14, 107, 3R, S17,4j,160,S25,2M,3V,67A,160C and many more originate here.There are also various mini-buses plying along the sundakkamuthur road which has its final destination at Town Hall, next to Ukkadam
Environment
Temperatures are cooler than Coimbatore city on an average. From April to May, the SW monsoon winds pass over Malampuzha dam waters in Kerala. From June to September, the winds pass through the rain drops and over the dam waters, cooling the air like in an evaporating air cooler. From October to March, the NW monsoon winds bring rain to Kovaipudur. The breeze velocity is high due to the venturi effect of the Palghat pass.
Shortcomings
Kovaipudur, though well within the city limits, has been a neglected township of late, by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation. The Corporation seems hesitant to take it within its folds. Because of this, there are several issues that Kovaipudur faces, which may soon erode its value. Unplanned development has destroyed its weather patterns. It is getting hotter by the day. What used to be called the "poor man's Ooty" now has a multitude of air-conditioners. Kovaipudur has always lacked water supply and of late, water supply is limited to half an hour, once in about 20-25 days, forcing the well off to dig bore wells, thereby dangerously lowering groundwater levels. Almost 95% of houses in Kovaipudur have a bore well. Therefore the municipal water supply is defunct. Most residents are old abandoned couples living alone. They lack the strength and will to question the authorities. So they survive as they can. Since they do not constitute a vote bank, not many political parties care for them. Public transport within the township is non existent. Autorickshaws are hard to come by and they charge exorbitantly. The elderly who constitute a majority of the population have no means to travel easily to places of worship or healthcare unless they have their own private vehicles. Medical facilities in the locality are pathetic. There are no 24/7 hospitals of repute. No ambulance services. There are just a very few general private practitioners who sit for a few hours daily, considering that the elders in the locality need quality medical care and are willing and able to pay. In short Kovaipudur has become a place where kids come to study from all over the Country, but the original inhabitants are finding it more and more difficult to survive.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kovaipudur. |
- Coimbatore District Administration
- T.V.Sekharan Memorial Matric Hr.Sec.School
- Sri Krishna College of Technology