A hartal called by Left parties in Feroke grama panchayat on Friday was peaceful and total.
All commercial establishments in the panchayat limits remained closed and vehicles kept off the road.
The hartal was called in protest against the State government’s alleged move to annexe some wards of Feroke grama panchayat to the proposed Ramanattukara municipality while retaining the rest of the wards in the panchayat. However, Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali told The Hindu on Friday that the proposal was to upgrade Ramanattukara and Feroke as separate municipalities.
Feroke grama panchayat president Sarasu Valakkada said that the move to delink wards would affect the existence of the grama panchayat due to insufficient revenue.
Assets in wards
“The 11 wards that are proposed to be attached to Ramanattukara are the ones that consist of most of the panchayat’s assets, including the panchayat office, schools, health centres, and commercial establishments. Once they are removed, what will remain are a few coastal wards in the Karuvanthuruthi region, which are mainly fishing villages. The panchayat will not get enough income even to run its day-to-day activities from those wards,” Ms. Sarasu said.
On Friday, none of the government institutions in the panchayat limits functioned. Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists had blocked a few vehicles in the morning, but later abandoned the attempt. Long-distance vehicles were allowed to ply. Local people largely cooperated with the hartal.
It was last year that the State Cabinet decided to form new municipalities in different parts of the State, including in Kozhikode district. As per the plan, new municipalities — Payyoli, Koduvally, Mukkam, Ramanattukara-Feroke, Cheruvannur-Nallalam, Beypore, and Elathur- Thalakulathoor — will be formed, in addition to Koyilandy and Vadakara municipalities, in the district.
Widespread opposition
Various quarters, including local leaders of both the ruling and opposition front, had opposed the mergers and bifurcations that would be needed to form the new local bodies.