CPI(M) leader and former Kozhikode Mayor M. Bhaskaran, 80, passed away at the District Co-operative Hospital at Eranhipalam here on Wednesday.
He was undergoing treatment for various ailments for quite some time. He had been the Mayor of Kozhikode during 2005-10. He had contested the council elections since 1978, except in 1995. Also, he had been the chairman of the health and education standing committee.
Mr. Bhaskaran had also served as president of the Kozhikode District Cooperative Hospital, Calicut Town Service Cooperative Bank, and vice chairman of Kerala State Rubber Co-operative Ltd. (Rubco).
It was during the fag end of his tenure as Mayor that the three grama panchayats of Beypore, Nallalam-Chervannur, and Elathur were merged with the corporation, taking the number of seats from 55 to 75.
He had been credited with giving a facelift to Kozhikode, including radical proposals to combat the traffic woes of the city. Some major projects envisaged under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Programme (KSUDP) were completed during his tenure. They included the 2.9-km Eranhipalam-Arayadathupalam stretch and the E.K. Nayanar Flyover at Arayadathupalam. This apart, 19 roads were renovated and 13 junctions scientifically improved.
Mr. Bhaskaran had joined the CPI(M) in 1964 and became a full-time activist in 1974. He had worked with Deshabhimani , the party organ, for over 30 years till 1997.
He was a member of the party district committee and was also vice chairman of the CITU. Two years ago, he was dropped from the 10-member panel of the Kozhikode district secretariat, reportedly because had become unfavourable with the party leadership.
