Idukki (Keralam) | Keralam Chief Whip and Thodupuzha MLA Apu John Joseph on Monday said discussions over the proposed formation of a new Muvattupuzha district were premature, as no such deliberations had taken place either within political fronts or at the government level.
Joseph, son of Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph, was responding to Chief Minister V D Satheesan's recent assurance to Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan that the demand for a separate Muvattupuzha district could be considered.
"This is my current personal opinion. This discussion itself is a premature one, because no discussions of this kind have taken place either within the political fronts or at the government level," Joseph told reporters.
He said Kuzhalnadan had been raising the demand for a Muvattupuzha-based district for a long time and had raised it at an event attended by the Chief Minister, who said the demand could be considered.
"After that, questions are being raised about whether Thodupuzha will be part of it. What we should think about is conducting a proper study on this," Joseph said.
Speaking about Idukki, Joseph said he preferred to be known as a resident of the district, where he was born and brought up.
"I was born and raised in this district; it is my home district," he said.
He pointed out that Idukki was a backward district and more than 50 per cent of its geographical area was covered by forests, making construction and other activities difficult in the High Range.
The forest cover would be above 70 per cent if the Low Range areas, including Thodupuzha and panchayats such as Arakulam and Udumbannoor, were excluded, he said.
Against this backdrop, the revenue model of Idukki also needed to be considered, Joseph said, adding that the highest number of commercial establishments in the district were located in Thodupuzha Municipality and adjoining areas.
"A major source of revenue for Idukki is this region," he said.
Therefore, the economic, linguistic and demographic impact of creating a new district should be studied before forming an opinion, Joseph said.
He said the demand for a separate Muvattupuzha district was not new and recalled that a commission headed by Babu Paul had conducted a study on the issue years ago.
"Creating a new district is not as simple as deciding today and declaring it tomorrow. Thousands of crores of rupees need to be invested," Joseph said.
The government would have to secure land and appoint officials and staff for various government institutions, including the Collectorate and the SP Office, which would have a significant financial impact, he said.
Joseph said the government had earlier backed away from the proposal to create a Muvattupuzha district because of the major financial and economic implications involved.
He said a comprehensive study should examine the economic, demographic and linguistic impact of the proposal, as well as determine which constituencies, regions and taluks would need to be included if a new district were formed.
"Keralam is a state where all 14 districts coexist together. So, launching a verbal war back and forth over this issue right now is not a good trend, in my opinion," he said.
