Adimali: Idukki district has regained its status as the largest district in Kerala after a recent government order expanded the land area of Edamalakkudy village in Devikulam taluk. A total of 12,718.509 hectare of land from Kuttampuzha village in Kothamangalam taluk, Ernakulam district, has been annexed to Edamalakkudy village. As a result, Idukki has surpassed Palakkad to once again become the largest district in the state.

The government issued a gazette notification on September 5 to increase the land area of the village, primarily to grant land to the tribals of Edamalakkudy under the Forest Rights Act. Consequently, the area of Idukki district has expanded from 4,48,504.64 hectare to 4,61,223.14 hectare. In contrast, the land area of Ernakulam district has decreased from 3,05,149 hectare to 2,92,430.49 hectare. Palakkad, the second-largest district, now stands at 4,48,200 hectare.

Idukki was Kerala's largest district until 1997 when it lost this status to Palakkad after the Kuttampuzha panchayat was transferred from Devikulam taluk to Kothamangalam taluk in Ernakulam district. The recent notification has seen the land area of Kuttampuzha village decrease from 65,374.94 hectare to 52,656.43 hectare, while Edamalakkudy village's area has surged from 9,558.87 hectare to 22,277.38 hectare.

The Forest Rights Act, which involves granting 10-acre land title deeds to tribals living within forests for their livelihood, has been implemented across the country. However, its implementation in Edamalakkudi faced delays. Following a High Court order about a year and a half ago, a meeting was convened under the guidance of the Chief Secretary at the time. The Idukki Collector was directed to expedite the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Edamalakkudi. Subsequently, a 12-member survey team was appointed to initiate the process.

During their survey in Edamalakkudi, it was found that most of the land belonged to Kuttampuzha village, prompting recent action to rectify this situation. Additionally, the possibility that a portion of the Anakulam region in Mankulam panchayat may become part of Edamalakkudi according to the government order has raised concerns among local residents.