Thrikkakara on a new course
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The decision to enforce the Kerala Municipal Building Rules in the Thrikkakara panchayat area, adjoining Kochi, will make some difference to those planning to construct buildings there. K. A. MARTIN outlines the changes in the offing.
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- Photo: Vipinchandran
TIME FOR CHANGE: The municipal building rule regime is to be enforced in Thrikkakara, which has witnessed much construction activity in recent years.
The process of urbanisation in Kerala has been marked by several peculiarities. The State, besides presenting the pan-Indian phenomenon of rising population in zones that are already urbanized, also presents the problem of rapid urbanisation of areas that till recently were rural in terms of population concentration and, to some extent, availability of amenities.
The more or less even spread of population concentration across the State is an indication of the urban-rural continuum that aptly describes the present situation. Kerala has an overall density of 819 persons per square kilometres (2001), the third highest in the country.
Legendary place
Thrikkakara fits so well into the general picture of Kerala. The panchayat is the seat of the legend of Mahabali and by virtue of it being located scenically away from the hustle of old Kochi, has sucked into its centre a booming real estate business.
Historically, what we know today as Thrikkakara panchayat has been relatively well-populated. The presence of the Thrikkakara Temple, seat of the Mahabali legend, has been a well-known spot for at least a 1,000 years now.
And, if it was shifting of the District administration to Kakkanad that fuelled interest among property speculators in the first phase, it is the churnings in the new industry that is lending wings to new aspirations.
Infrastructure
The availability of clean well water, fresh air and relatively developed infrastructure has been drawing housing investments to the area gradually. The trend had several impetuses including the establishment of the Cochin Special Economic Zone. Then setting up of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) industrial parks was another milestone. More recently, speculations on the proposed Smart City project have led to a scramble for investments in Thrikkakara and neighbouring areas.
The trend is in keeping with the city of Kochi pushing its borders to the North, East and to some extent to South with the West offering absolutely no scope for expansion.
Thrikkakara is now in the middle of one of the biggest building booms in the State's history.
Fresh housing projects, initiatives to build commercial complexes and smart spaces for the IT industry are flowing freely. It is in this background that the State Government decided to implement Kerala Municipal Building Rules (KMBR) in the Panchayat area.
Implications
What it immediately implies is that any building project will have to be approved by the panchayat authorities. Being a panchayat area such permits were not previously needed. The inclusion of Thrikkakara in the list of areas where KMBR is to be implemented is in keeping with the State Government's objective of considering Kochi along with Thiruvananthapuram as Spatial Priority Regions for urban Development in Kerala. Not equipped immediately to implement the new rules, the Panchayat authorities have sought time till January 15 from the State Government during which period, the panchayat has sought permission and help to set up a Town Planning and Engineering Department which will handle the applications for buildings.
In the meanwhile the process of approval of new building plans in the panchayat area will be put on hold since the Government has already made a gazette notification of the requirement for implementing the KMBR, said Sabitha Kareem, Panchayat President.
Enforcing rules
She said that the Panchayat authorities would ensure that the rules are followed. The new rules will be implemented with the objectives of ensuring a balanced development of the area, she added.
Thrikkakara is a special grade panchayat that has a population of over 50,000 spread over an area of over 28 square kilometres. The Panchayat authorities have issued permission for building 32 apartment complexes which are now in various stages of completion. There are about a dozen apartment complexes that are occupied.
Hails decision
The Kerala Builders' Forum (KBF) has welcomed the decision by the State Government to introduce KMBR in the Thrikkakara Panchayat area. Mathew Chacko, Chairman of the Builders' Forum, the apex body representing the real estate business in the State, said that decision should have been taken much earlier.
The Builders' Forum, he said, had appealed to the Government on several occasions to introduce the building regulations and that their introduction spelled good for the building industry as a whole.
Mr. Mathew Chacko said that the builders had been following the regulations even in panchayat areas in the past and that the introduction of the KBBR regulations would not affect or slow down the construction activities.
Better equipped
The panchayat, he said, should be well-equipped to deal with the new situation efficiently and quickly. The setting up of a Town Planning Department to look into the applications and to process them quickly is what is immediately needed.
An official of the Thrikkakara panchayat had earlier said that the local body would be relying on the Town Planning Department of the District Panchayat for the purpose.
The most tangent result of the new regulations will be that they will give the Panchayat more teeth in regulating the development of the areas under it.
There will regulations on the Floor Area Ratio, emphasis on conservation of heritage structures as well as preservation or creation of parks and open spaces etc among others.
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