The debate over the proposed relocation of Wayanad Government Medical College is intensifying, with competing demands to whether establish the institution at Madakkimala in Kalpetta or retain it in Mananthavady.
While the Health Department is exploring options to secure land for the medical college, the Mananthavady Municipality has urged the government to retain the institution in the town, claiming there is no shortage of land.
The medical college, which has National Medical Commission approval, currently operates from the existing district hospital campus in Mananthavady, which spans just 10 acres. The shortage of land has indefinitely delayed the construction of the academic block.
Against this backdrop, Municipal Chairperson Jacob Sebastian held discussions with Muhammad Ali, owner of Parisons Estate. During the talks, the estate owner agreed to provide 25 acres of plantation land free of cost for the medical college.
However, the estate management has stipulated certain conditions for handing over the land, including a change in its classification. If the conditions are accepted, construction work for the medical college could begin without further delay.
“The estate management has also expressed willingness to construct a new bus stand under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, as the medical college is expected to increase the demand for public transport facilities," said Sebastian.
"It has also offered support for other infrastructure projects essential to the municipality's development. Parisons Estate had shown considerable goodwill towards the development of Mananthavady,“ Sebastian added.
The municipality convened an urgent meeting of its governing council and included the proposal as a special agenda item. According to the municipality, the proposal did not face opposition from council members, including those from the opposition.
The council has decided to submit a detailed proposal to the government under the leadership of MLA Usha Vijayan. The government will examine the estate's offer and the conditions attached to it before taking a decision.
However, office-bearers of the Madakkimala Medical College Action Committee have demanded action against the Mananthavady Municipal Council, accusing it of protecting the interests of Parisons Estate under the guise of the medical college project.
The committee maintains that the 4,025 acres held by Parisons are leasehold lands that should be confiscated and vested with the government. It alleges that the move to establish the medical college on the estate's land, while a civil case concerning its ownership remains pending, is driven by private interests.
The committee further alleges that the municipality's move to facilitate the reclassification of 25 acres of plantation land would enable Parisons to undertake unauthorised construction. It has reiterated its demand that the medical college be established at Madakkimala, arguing that Mananthavady lacks suitable land for the project.
The CPM has argued that land at Ambukuthy, near Mananthavady, would be an ideal location for the medical college. Amid strong demands to retain the institution in Mananthavady, the previous LDF government had acquired 28 acres of land held by the Forest Department at Ambukuthy. In exchange, 56 acres in Sulthan Bathery taluk were handed over to the Forest Department for afforestation.
The land identified at Ambukuthy is just 1.5 km from the existing medical college hospital. However, the initiative stalled following the change of government.
