Kochi MPC will be formed without delay: MB Rajesh at Manorama discussion

Kochi: Minister for Local Administration, M B Rajesh, has said that the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Kochi will be formed without delay. The minister said that the state government did not have any doubt on the need for the MPC. However, he said, there were different lines of thinking on how it should be formed. The minister was speaking at a panel discussion organised by Malayala Manorama on Monday.

The minister said the committee led by former Urban Development Secretary Dr M Ramachandran, which the government appointed to look into the formation of the MNPC, has submitted its report. “The government will get the report from the Urban Commission formed to draft the Urban Policy in March. A decision will be taken without delay after considering both the reports,” the minister said.

“If other states are witnessing migration from villages to cities, in Kerala, villages are being transformed into cities. Urbanisation in Kerala should be looked into from such a vast perspective,” he said.

The panellists pointed out the need to broaden the borders of the city to plan comprehensive development of the region. They said the development of the city cannot be planned in parts based on local bodies.

There was a consensus among the panellists that a forum like MPC with the necessary powers is the need of the hour to implement development measures. The central government defines a city as an area with a population of over 10 lakh. Kochi City is a region comprising Kochi Corporation, neighbouring municipalities, and panchayats. The panellists opined that the issues concerning the local bodies are interconnected and could be resolved through cooperation.

The session was moderated by Prof P K Raveendran, a member of the government committee that drafted a report on the formation of the MPC. Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar, T J Vinod MLA, GCDA chairman K Chandran Pillai, Hudco’s former MD and MPC consultative committee member V Suresh, Planning Board member and MPC consultative committee member Jiju P Alex, Centre for Environmental Efficiency founder and GCDA’s former senior town planner Dr May Mathew, Trangreen ventures founding director and urban transport expert G P Hari, and IT professional Arjun P Bhasker who had approached the Kerala High Court seeking a directive for constituting MPC attended the discussion.

Malayala Manorama Chief Associate Editor and Director Riyad Mathew presented the minister with a collection of reports published by Manorama highlighting the need to constitute the MPC.