‘Talks of new Muvattupuzha district premature’: Kerala Chief Whip Apu John Joseph

Idukki: Kerala Chief Whip and Thodupuzha MLA Apu John Joseph on Monday stated that discussions regarding the proposed formation of a new Muvattupuzha district are premature, clarifying that no formal deliberations have occurred at either the government level or within political fronts.

Joseph, son of Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph, was responding to recent remarks by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, who indicated that local demand for a separate Muvattupuzha district raised by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan 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 acknowledged that Kuzhalnadan had long advocated for a district centered around Muvattupuzha and brought up the issue during an event attended by the Chief Minister. “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 noted.

Emphasising his deep ties to Idukki as his birthplace and home district, Joseph highlighted the geographical and economic realities of the region. He pointed out that Idukki remains a backward district where forest cover accounts for over 50 per cent of the total terrain, making development in the High Range exceptionally challenging.

Excluding Low Range regions like Thodupuzha and nearby panchayats such as Arakulam and Udumbannoor, the forest coverage exceeds 70 per cent.

He stressed that Thodupuzha Municipality and surrounding areas house the highest density of commercial establishments in Idukki, serving as a vital source of revenue. “A major source of revenue for Idukki is this region,” he noted, adding that any proposal must thoroughly weigh economic, demographic and linguistic factors before taking a definitive stance.

Recalling that the demand is not new and was previously evaluated years ago by a committee led by Babu Paul, Joseph warned against hasty decisions. “Creating a new district is not as simple as deciding today and declaring it tomorrow. Thousands of crores of rupees need to be invested,” he cautioned.

Establishing a new district would incur heavy financial commitments to acquire land and recruit administrative and security staff for facilities such as the Collectorate and SP Office.

Joseph recalled that the state government had previously shelved the proposal due to these substantial economic burdens. He urged for a detailed investigation into which taluks, regions and constituencies would be affected should a district ever be drawn.

“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,” Joseph stated.

PTI