The Hindu : Kerala News : Thrissur: Poised for growth

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Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009
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Kerala

Thrissur: Poised for growth

Thrissur has been a crucible for cultural and religious fusion. It was once a centre of Buddhism and Jainism. Adi Sankara is believed to have been born as a result of prayers offered at Sree Vadakkunnathan temple. Greats such as St. Thomas, Swami Vivekananda and Sree Narayana Guru have left their footprints in the history of Thrissur.

In 1790, Raja Rama Varma, known as Sakthan Thampuran, rebuilt the city after an attack of Tipu Sultan. Thrissur is home to many veteran freedom fighters and had played a key role in the Temple Entry movement.

Having a total area of 3,032 sq.km and 254 revenue villages, the district has a highly literate population of 317,474, according to 2001 census.

Thrissur is on a growth trajectory. It is close to Kochi, which is reeling under spatial constraints, and has access to world-class infrastructure. Thrissur is near three airports -- the international airport at Kochi and those at Kozhikode and Coimbatore. It is linked to the Kochi Port by rail and a network of national highways.

The efforts of the district administration are to leverage the potential and to turn Thrissur into a centre of sustainable development. The vision is to create a vibrant and efficient economic base and to provide the poorest and vulnerable access to the growth process. Strategic initiatives are being taken to fulfil the demands of development through a ‘building block approach “to strengthen the food, water and environment security”. Efforts are on to leverage the competency of the district in educational and health services; agriculture including processing and value addition; developing industrial clusters; financial services; gold parks and commodity/gold futures; and traditional production base.

National Highways 47 and 17, national waterways and the proposed inter-city connectivity (by creating a Rapid Transit Corridor) would change the future of the city. NRI remittances will play a key role in development. Appropriate and attractive portfolios are being created for this.

The district has made giant strides recently. The agriculture sector has shown significant improvement in both production and productivity. Despite economic downturn, the banking system in the district has pumped an additional Rs. 270 crores towards agricultural credit. The upcoming Medical University and the proposed World Class University in the district will transform the education scene. The relocation of the Thrissur Zoo to the nearby Puthur Panchaya and construction of Info Park at Koratty will spur development. The Muziris heritage project will add momentum to tourism development.

The district has launched a comprehensive water security programme, Mazhapolima, with people’s participation; a comprehensive and scientific study of kole development; e- governance initiatives to ensure transparency, accountability and mandatory disclosure. Thrissur development network towards participatory development and outreach support to citizens is a unique model. All villages in the district are being covered under a computerisation programme and all taluk headquarters have been networked.

Responsive local governance adds to the district’s decentralised capabilities. Spatial planning, environmental sanitation and hygiene and transport planning are the immediate development priorities. With a consensus on issues of development among key stakeholders, including political leadership, business community and administration, Thrissur is poised for multidimensional growth.

Dr. V. K. Baby IAS, District Collector, Thrissur

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