Kottayam may get corporation status by next year

By Sachin Jose

KOTTAYAM: The Kottayam Municipality will be upgraded to municipal corporation status with an aim to improve the infrastructure and quality of life, said sources from the municipality.

As per Census 2011, Kottayam comes under Class I Urban Agglomerations/Towns with a population of 3,57,533. An urban agglomeration constitutes a central town and the adjoining outgrowths linked by continuous urban area.

State Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali said the new municipal corporation will be officially declared by next month and the corporation status will be bestowed just before the panchayat elections next year.

Town Planning Officer Shiji Chandran explained, "The regions with 75 per cent of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits will be eligible to join the urban agglomeration."

The proposed municipal corporation will assimilate 12 neighbouring panchayats including Thiruvarppu, Panachikkad, Vijayapuram, Manarcad, Ayarkunnam, Athirampuzha and Ettumanoor with the existing municipal limits.

Also eastern fringes of Ayimanam and Arpookkara Panchayats and northern parts of Puthuppally, Meenadom and Pampadi will also be included. Nattakom and Kumaranelloor panchayats were added last year.

But, Vijayapuram Panchayat President Baiju Cherukottayil alleged, "The move is aimed at to annexing the panchayat to control the Vadavathoor dumping yard as municipality wishes."

Kottayam municipal waste was being dumped at Vadavathoor in Vijayapuram Panchayat until Dec 31 last year, when the local people shut down the yard. However, the panchayat officials doubt the town representatives may colonise their locality and open the dumping yard.

However, Municipal Chairman MP Santhosh Kumar dismissed the allegations and clarified, "The corporation status will provide us with central funds under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns for solid-waste management, which will be used for the improvement of the dumping yard." 

Also, Kottayam Medical College and Mahatma Gandhi University will be under the jurisdiction of the corporation, he added.