Socio Economic Status of Tribal’s In Kollimalai of Tamilnadu and their Community Participation

Abstract

Kolli hills or Kollimalai located near Rasipuram taluk of Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu is situated at 11°10c to 11° 30 cN latitude and 78°15c to 78°30 c E longitude with an altitude ranging from 1000-1400 m above msl (Fig. 1). A minor area of the eastern portion of this hill lies in the Perambalur district. It has a total area of about 283 sq km. Kolli hill is part of the Talaghat stretch and eastward of the hill lies in Pachamalai. A broad valley divides Kolli hill and Patchamalai. Kolli hill on the western, eastern and southern sides appears abruptly from the plains and on the northern side ascends to the plains by numerous long and gently sloping spurs. The maximum temperature ranges between 20°C-30°C and minimum temperature between 10°C-20°C. The average annual rainfall is around 1445 mm. The soil is deep to very deep, non-calcareous. The top most hill area is characterised by sandy loam soil, whereas the bottom of the valley is characterised by alluvial and clay loam soil. The forest types range from evergreen to moist deciduous and dry deciduous. On the western side of the hills, patchy good sholas still exist, though a great portion of the plateau is cleared. The total population of Kolli hills is 33,888 living in 6,840 households. Out of the 33,888 people, 32,080 are tribals and the rest939 have been declared as Scheduled Castes. The population density in Kollimalai is 119 persons per sq km.