The Ring Roads Have Really Changed the Face of Pathanamthitta Town

10 years back, it was almost a nightmare of travelling through Pathanamthitta town as the traffic inside the town was horrible. If we were to go by bus, then we would have to face a huge traffic block as the old Pathanamathitta private bus stand was in the center of the town. The roads inside the town were always jammed with traffic and this caused much difficulty in reaching the old private bus stand. Even if you are going by your own vehicle, you would feel frustrated due to the ugly traffic inside the town.

But the arrival of ring roads around Pathanamthitta town has changed it all, as the new ring roads have reduced the traffic block inside Pathanamthitta town. The ring road made it easier for those who had to pass through Pathanamthitta town to reach other places such as Adoor, Kollam, Trivandrum, Punalur, Thiruvalla etc. They no longer need to pass through the hear of Pathanamthitta town and instead they just got the route through the outer area of the town. This has brought the traffic more systematic and under control, as only the private buses that need to go to the bus stand had to enter the town center.

This was even more improved by the inauguration of the new Municipal Private bus stand, which is situated near the KSRTC bus stand in Pathanamthitta. The new Municipal bus stand in Pathanamthitta was one of the biggest in the nearby areas and was situated along the ring road. The inauguration of the new private bus stand in Pathanmthitta made sure that no more buses passed through the center of the town and reducing the traffic inside the town considerably.

The rign roads have also brought new development to Pathanamthitta town such as shopping complexes, new buildings, Muthoot Hospital etc. The real estate price in Pathanamthitta has also got a positive uplift with the arrival of ring road. The lands and properties which were considered junk before the arrival of the ring roads started getting more value in the real estate market and the overall prices of land and building in Pathanamthitta started peaking. More and more developments can be expected in Pathanamthitta in the coming days.

Some Major Weaknesses of Pathanamthitta District

Pathanamthitta is one of the most beautiful and literate district in Kerala and is home to some of the major spiritual destinations in Kerala. There are also many hot spots in Pathanamthitta which are less known to the outer world. Pathanamthitta has developed a lot since the last decade and is still developing. Pathanamthitta is a district which has reported the least number of communal violence in the history of Kerala. This makes the district one of the best place to live.

Apart from these, there are many things and weaknesses that the district is having. The list may be too long if we ask different persons and hence I have decided to put forward my opinions only. Below given are some of the major weaknesses of Pathanamthitta in my opinion.

1) Industrial Backwardness
Pathanamthitta district as a whole is industrially backward and there are no real opportunities for the highly educated guys to work in their own district. This make the educated people and entrepreneurs to move out of  Pathanamthitta.

2) Least Explored Tourism Potential
Pathanamthitta is a district with amazing landscape and beauty and has all the essential things needed for a great  tourist destination. But unfortunately, the tourism potential of Pathanamthitta is not yet explored to its fullest  and this deprives the district from getting additional income.

3) Bad Facilities for Pilgrims
Pathanamthitta is home to some of the major pilgrimage centers in Kerala and as a result a lot pilgrimage visit the  district on an annual basis. But the irony is that despite a huge flow of pilgrims, there has not been any steps  from the government to enhance the pilgrimage tourism in the district. Added to this the facilities offered to the  pilgrims are also poor.

4) Lack of Agricultural Product Processing
Eventhough Pathanamthitta is home to a variety of agricultural products and produces them on a regular basis. In spite of these there are no agricultural  product processing units in the district which again deprives the district from getting additional revenue

5) Lack of Development in IT
Even though majority of the people in Pathanamthitta are having knowledge in computers and IT related matters, the IT development of the district is not upto the mark. Even the government has also not taken any initiatives for the IT development of the district.

6) Lack of Quality Roads
There are a large number of roads passing through Pathanamthitta and most of them are in better shape when compared with other districts. But Pathanamthitta  still lacks quality roads that meet the national standards.

Major Engineering Colleges in Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta is one of the upcoming education center in Kerala and has a lot of famous educational institutions. There is a medical college, few engineering colleges, a good number of arts and science colleges, nursing colleges, management institutions and a few numbers of polytechnic colleges in Pathanamthitta. Here I would like to list the major engineering colleges in Pathanamthitta district.

1)    College Of Engineering, Adoor

Address:
College of Engineering Adoor
Adoor, Manakkala P.O - 691551
Phone 04734 230640 / 231995
Fax 04734 230640
E-mail: principal@cea.ac.in

Website  - http://www.ceadoor.ihrd.ac.in/

2)    College of Engineering, Kallooppara

Address:
The Principal
College of Engineering Kallooppara
Kadamankulam P.O
Thiruvalla(via)
 Pathanamthitta District
 Kerala State, India
 Pin : 689603
 Email : engpta@gmail.com,cekallooppara@ihrd.ac.in

Phone -0469 2677890,2678983,2678688
Fax:     0469-2678688
Website - http://www.cek.ac.in   
   
   
3)    Mount Zion College of Engineering, Kadamanitta

Address:
Mount Zion College of Engineering,
Kadammanitta,
Pathanamthitta Dist,
Kerala, India.
Phone: 0468-2216325, 2217525
E-mail: mountzion01@sify.com

Website  - http://www.mountzioncollege.org/

4)    Musaliar College of Engineering, Pathanamthitta

Address:
Musaliar College of Engineering & Technology,
Musaliar College P.O., Pathanamthitta - 689 653.
Phone No.:+91- 468 - 2301702,
 +91- 468 - 2301703.
Fax:+91 - 468 - 2301702.
e-mail: director@musaliarcollege.com,
principal@musaliarcollege.com

Website - http://www.musaliarcollege.com/


5)    Carmel Engineering College, Perunad

Address:
Admission Officer
Caarmel Engineering College
Believers Church - Synod Office,
Manjadi Post, Thiruvalla - 689 105
Kerala , India
Helpline : + 91 - 469 - 2606943
E-mail : info@bccaarmelcollege.org
Website - www.bccaarmelcollege.org


6)    Sree Buddha College of Engineering for Women, Elavumthitta
Address:
Sree Buddha College of Engineering for Women
Ayathil,
Elavumthitta.P.O.
Pathanamthitta Dist.
Kerala
PIN: 689625
Tel: 0468 2258100[Principal], 2259400 [ Office ] , 2259100[Fax], 2259444[Hostel]
E mail: sbcewae@gmail.com
Website - http://www.sbcew.ac.in/

7 Attractions in Pathanamthitta That I Cannot Miss Out

I was a native of Pathanamthitta district and came from a beautiful Village in Pathanamthitta called Ranni. I have traveled to almost all the major hot spots in Pathanamthitta and now since I have moved to a new place outside Pathanamthitta, I rarely get time to visit these beautiful places. But I never slip any opportunities to visit any of the beautiful destinations in Pathanamthitta, as I truely adore and love this beautiful place.

There are a large number of attractions to watch out for in Pathanamthitta, but I have picked 7 of my favorite hot spots in Pathanamthitta, which I would never get tired visiting again and again. Have a look at these 7 favorite attractions of Pathanamthitta in my opinion.

1) Perumthenaruvi
Perumthenaruvi is a less known eco tourism in Vechoochira, Ranni and is famous for its scenic beauty and a majestic waterfall. Perumthenaruvi is slowly becoming one of the hottest tourist spot in Pathanamthitta district and the number of people visiting Perumthenaruvi in Vechoochira is growing day by day. I have visited this place only once, but the memories still remain fresh in my mind and hopes to visit Perumthenaruvi very soon in the near future.

2) Sabarimala
Sabarimala is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage center in South India and is famous for the Lord Ayyappa Temple situated on the top of a hill. The area surrounding this temple is a sight to behold as the green hills and the gentle mist makes it more charming. Sabarimala comes under Ranni taluk (which is my native place) and since I have grown up seeing the flock of pilgrims heading towards Sabarimala since my young ages, this place is too special for me. I have even visited this place during my college days.

3) Parumala Church
This is one of the most popular Christian pilgrimage center in Pathanamthitta district and is the resting place for the famous Saint Mar Gregorios of Parumala, who was a Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Church. I used to visit this church on a regular basis and I was also attracted by the natural beauty surrounding this Church. The famous river Pamba flows through here and the geographical appearance is a mixture of lower and upper Kuttanadu.

4) Konni
Konni is one of the most beautiful place in Pathanamthitta and is known for its range of forests and wildlife. It is also a major agricultural area in Pathanamthitta and some of the major cultivation include pepper, coffee, tapioca, ginger, rubber etc. It is also famous for the elephant training center which is visited by a number of tourist through out the year.

5) Charalkunnu Hills
Charalkunnu hills is a small hill station in Pathanamthitta and is very near to Kozhencherry. Charalkunnu is an amazing hill station which can be utilized for camping, trekking and other adventurous activities. One would be able to get an amazing panoramic view of the  low lying areas surrounding this hill station. Charalkunnu hill station is also famous for the retreat and convention center present over there. I had been to this hill stations in my college days, and that too for adventure activities.

6) Pandalam Palace
Pandalam Palace is an historical palace in Pandalam, Pathanamthitta  situated on the banks of river Achankovil and is the home for the royal family of Pandalam. This Palace provides an amazing example of ancient art and architecture and even though few portions of the Palace have been damaged by flood and fire in the past, the number of people visiting this Palace in Panadalam has not decreased.

7) Aranmula
Aranmula is mainly famous for the Sri Parthasarathi Temple, which is situated on the banks of river Pamba and is dedicated to Lord Sree Krishna. The place is also famous for the Aranmula boat race, which is one of the most popular sport event in Kerala. This is also a promotional area for arts and culture in Kerala, and the Vijinana Kalavedi present in Aranmula provides training for ancient arts such as Kathakali, classical dances, classical music, Kalaripayattu etc. The Aranmula mirror (Aranmula Kannadi) is also a unique product from Aranmula which is made of mirrors made from polished metal.