Life hasn’t changed much for 80-year-old Kausalya and her family from Beypore after their grama panchayat was merged with the Kozhikode Corportaion almost a decade ago.
The Beypore port remains the same without any expansion plans, so do the dilapidated tourism facilities on the beach. The poorly-maintained roads and bylanes are an eyesore. “Did the residents actually benefit after all these years is a question. Yes, we now pay more tax to the Kozhikode Corporation,” she says.
Earlier, the grama panchayat had been empowered to use its own funds for development needs. Basic amenities have not improved in the region, possibly the most thickly populated local body in the district. “Now the erstwhile grama panchayat office has been converted to the regional office of the corporation. The sanitation drive in urban areas has helped us,” says Ms. Kausalya.
The merger of Elathur, Beypore and Cheruvannur-Nallalam panchayats 10 years ago extended the boundaries of the city. The total population is over 6.13 lakh in the 118.59-sq.km area. But even today, the civic body is faced with enormous challenges to meet the aspirations of the people in suburban areas for development, investments and employment generation.
Gulf remains
There is still a gulf between the urban segment and the former grama panchayats. “Certainly the geographic and demographic sizes expanded. But the organically grown city has not touched the needs of the extended areas despite the merger offering high potential for contribution to the economy,” says K. Narayanan, former project manager of the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) and former superintending engineer, Road and Bridges - North Kerala.
Mr. Narayanan, who has been credited with executing several projects such as the E.K. Nayanar flyover, the four-lane road connecting Eranhipalam and Arayadathupalam and improvements of major junctions in the city, says the Olavanna grama panchayat is still out of the Kozhikode Corporation limits. “Olavanna is an integral part of the Kozhikode urban agglomeration. Urban planners failed to take note of the expansions on the Kozhikode bypass stretch.”
Major issues
Major problems faced by the extended areas are lack of a proper sewage system and shortage in supply of drinking water. Stormwater drainage and environmental issues remain. Land available in Beypore, Nallalam and Elathur has not been utilised for development. Fortunately, the waste treatment plant at Njeliyamparamba is now within city limits.
Sayyid Muhammed Shameel, a UDF-supported Independent, who won the Areekkad division bypoll, says the Corporation has adopted a stepmotherly attitude towards the merged grama panchayats. “We don’t get major projects. We were also assured that taxes would not be increased for 20 years,” he says. “The real estate boom at Nallalam and Cheruvannur happened after the merger. But only shop owners benefited,” says E. Abdul Gafoor, a resident of Chalati near Nallalam.
The fishing harbour at Puthiyappa and Beypore port are yet to gain importance. Likewise, the Cheruvannur-Nallalam areas, once a prospering industrial belt, now brave a stagnant economy.
In Elathur
However, Regional Town Planner K.V. Abdul Malik says Elathur that secured the city tag is developing. Beypore has not seen much development. Only Cheruvannur-Nallalam, which had major revenue, has lost its significance, he adds.
“The development of Elathur has vastly improved. Incidentally, the urban area is governed by the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone Act,” says Puthiyappa division councillor K. Nisha.
The merger of 20 wards of the three grama panchayats, many believe, has helped the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front scrape through, by winning seven more seats than the Congress-Indian Union Muslim League combine, in the 2010 elections. When the Congress-led United Democratic Front government decided to de-link Cheruvannur-Nallalam, Beypore, and Elathur from the Kozhikode Corporation, the proposal was shot down by the High Court of Kerala.
With the rise in population, the amalgamation of suburban areas with the city has brought in a slew of issues, which mostly remain unsolved. But, coordination among government agencies could pave the way for better municipal governance.
