KOCHI: The Queen of Arabian Sea has always had a place in the global list of growing cities. Lately, however, it seems like Kochi is falling short in many areas. Formed 53 years ago, the limits of Kochi Corporation are yet to be expanded. Even while nursing the dream of a greater Kochi, the city’s demands have been continuously ignored by political parties. Despite demand from activists and residents’ associations to merge nearby civic bodies with the corporation, no political front has included a plan towards this in their manifestos, as Kochi goes to polls
Despite many suburbs with rapid population growth and infrastructural development surrounding it, Kochi Corporation is still where it started almost 50 years ago. Fund crunch, inefficient administration and lack of planning are the main reasons for this. Many builders and developers have started cashing in on the reduced taxes in nearby municipalities and panchayats, becoming richer with the trend. However, the asymmetrical approach has crippled infrastructure development.
Considering these aspects, many demands have surfaced for the expansion of the corporation into Kochi Metropolitan Authority following the examples of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and Greater Chennai Corporation.
According to architect S Gopakumar of Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG), the expansion will make development more systematic. “The delay in the expansion is dwindling reforms in major sectors. Be it waste management, drainage, transport, tax collection or infrastructure, we need a bigger area to work on and bring in large-scale residential, commercial, recreational and open-space plans,” he says.
Experts feel the political clout of smaller civic bodies is the prime reason delaying Kochi’s growth. “If the corporation expands, leaders of adjacent civic bodies will lose their seats. With Kochi’s growth, the haphazard planning in these civic bodies could also be streamlined,” said Gopakumar. Meanwhile, a few others believe that formation of a new body must be based on transfer of specific governing powers. An organisation like Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) will not be effective in the long run.
“Unless we transfer certain powers to the new body, there is no logic in forming one. If it continues to wait for the state government’s permission in each decision, it will come down to a ‘local department’ status. The governing body will need financial autonomy to collect taxes and spend revenue.
The government’s Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) is also bound to have conflicts with civic bodies. So, there needs to be a broader study on what the agency’s powers are, powers of the new body and roles of newly elected representatives. It shouldn’t be a bureaucratic setup like the GCDA. We have to ensure accountability in its functioning,” said D Dhanuraj, chairman, Kochi-based think-tank Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR).
However, many feel that an expansion would deter the area-specific development of nearby civic bodies. “It is better to keep Kochi corporation small. Even now, it often fails to understand the needs of its own localities. We have managed to spend only `200 crore despite getting `2,070 crore worth of projects. We wasted `610 crore under the drinking water scheme. Adjacent civic bodies like Tripunithura, have a cultural identity and specific needs. If they merge with the corporation, the entire area will get only five councillors. This might lead to many issues getting overlooked,” said K J Sohan, former mayor of Kochi Corporation.
Online petition for expansion
Kochi Next, an online forum, recently launched a petition demanding the expansion of the corporation limits by forming a metropolitan authority. The collective has been actively raising the issue in the past few years. “When the majority of Central government rankings are based on Kochi city agglomeration area, Kochi corporation is still struggling to get funds for its development. Cities like Chennai and Vizag have merged nearby local bodies and acquired more funds.
We have made a documentary on the issue and met several political leaders. All of them pointed towards political motives and corruption,” said Arjun Prakash, member, Kochi Next. Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/government-of-kerala-expand-kochi-corporation-limits-and-form-metropolitan-authority-for-kochi