Kochi Mayor, MP lock horns over future use of old Corporation building, land

The potential future use of the land and old office of the Kochi Corporation, now that the civic body has a modern headquarters near Marine Drive, seems to have triggered a war of words between Hibi Eden, MP, and Mayor M. Anilkumar.

A proposal to convert the old Corporation office into a museum had appeared on the agenda of an executive committee meeting of the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED), a think tank of Kochi Corporation, held on September 9. The opposition United Democratic Front strongly objected to such a proposal being discussed in the C-HED meeting without prior approval from the council, although Mr. Anilkumar has since clarified that no concrete proposal exists.

It was in this context that Mr. Eden demanded that the land housing the Corporation’s old building be handed over to the General Hospital, citing its proximity, among other favourable factors. “For one, the old Corporation office is not a heritage building worthy of conversion into a museum. There is nothing about it that warrants preservation. The most practical use would be to hand it over to the General Hospital for its future expansion, especially considering its proximity to the hospital,” said Mr. Eden.

The hospital, which is planning to proceed with heart transplantation surgeries and a dietary block, is in urgent need of land. The development of the General Hospital would benefit not only patients in Ernakulam but also those from neighbouring districts, he added.

Mr. Anilkumar, however, expressed his disagreement with Mr. Eden’s suggestion, stating that while the MP has the right to express his opinion, it is up to the Corporation Council to decide what should be done with its building and land. “How can the MP claim that the building has no heritage value? Heritage, after all, is not confined to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry alone. Every place has its own heritage. The building features a plaque of R.K. Shanmukham Chetty (former Diwan of Cochin before Independence), after whom the Shanmukham Road was named,” he said.

Mr. Anilkumar also noted that while the late Chief Minister E.M.S. Namboodiripad officially opened the old Corporation office, it essentially served as the office for the Ernakulam municipality. He pointed out that this highlighted the history of the formation of the Corporation through the merger of the municipalities of Ernakulam, Fort Kochi, and Mattancherry. “The General Hospital has sufficient land for future development, especially considering that high-rise buildings have become the norm. Moreover, the focus should be more on developing the Government Medical College in Kalamassery than on the General Hospital,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Eden is now set to formally raise the demand to allocate the Corporation land to the General Hospital with the Chief Minister, the Local Self-Government Minister, and the Mayor.