Kerala local bodies to be under administrative rule after November 11

Local bodies in Kerala will be placed under the rule of administrative committees scheduled for elections this year, the cabinet decided on Wednesday. The state government decided to set up administrative committees for local bodies after November 11, as the tenure of local bodies will end on that day. Administrative committees will be set up at the local bodies in order to do away with the administrative standstill, as elections will not be held prior to November 11, said a press release on the cabinet’s decision.

The administrative committees will be formed as per section 151 and sub section (2) of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act 1994, and section 65 and sub section 1 of the Kerala Municipality Act 1994.

In District Panchayats, the district collectors, district panchayat Secretary and director of the district panchayat’s poverty alleviation wing will be part of the administrative committees. In block panchayats, the committees will consist of the block panchayat secretary, assistant executive engineer and agriculture Assistant Director. In Gramapanchayats, the Secretary, assistant engineer and agricultural officer will comprise the committees; in Municipal Corporations, it will consist of the Secretary, Corporation Engineer, Municipal Council, Municipal Council Secretary, Municipal Engineer and the officer in charge of the Integrated Child Development Project. 

Though it is mandated that elections should be held before the terms end so that new councils can assume charge, COVID-19 has forced the State Election Commission to postpone the elections. The terms of the elected councils of all local bodies, except for the Mattannur Municipality, end on November 11. The Mattannur Municipal Council in Kannur follows a different election calendar.

Mattannur was upgraded into a municipality in 1990 by the then Left Democratic Front government, but the decision was revoked in 1994 by the then United Democratic Front government owing to protests. It was again upgraded as a municipality in 1997 and the election to local body was held in that year. 

The EC had announced that the election process will wind up by December 31, though the election schedule is yet to be announced.