The Kerala Muslim Jamaath has stepped up its call for the bifurcation of Ernakulam district, contending that demographic shifts and changing “social realities” warrant administrative reorganisation.
Addressing a press conference, the organisation stated that a new district should be carved out with Muvattupuzha as its headquarters, asserting that such a move is crucial to ensure more balanced and inclusive development across the region.
The Jamaath said the demand emerged from public interactions held during its state-wide yatra and would be formally submitted to the Kerala government. It added that a similar case for bifurcation exists in Malappuram district as well, given comparable pressures of population and governance.
Beyond administrative restructuring, the organisation outlined a broader set of concerns. These included transforming Ernakulam into a major educational hub, cracking down on drug networks that are “destroying the youth,” protecting the Periyar River from escalating pollution, and urgently addressing infrastructural and staffing shortcomings at the Government Medical College in Kalamassery.
The press conference was attended by deputy yatra leaders Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleel Al Bukhari and Perod Abdurahman Saqafi, Kerala Muslim Jamaath secretary C P Saithalavi Master, Ernakulam district president V H Ali Darimi, and district secretary C T Hashim Thangal.
‘Let us move past Marad riots’
Responding to recent political remarks on the Marad riots, Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleel Al Bukhari said there was no purpose in reopening old wounds by revisiting the incident now. His comments came in response to CPI(M) leader A K Balan’s statement that the Marad violence could recur if the UDF returned to power. Echoing this view, Perod Abdurahman Saqafi dismissed Balan’s remarks as politically motivated and said the Jamaath had nothing further to add on the issue.
