Kizhakkambalam


Kizhakkambalam is an eastern suburb of the City of Kochi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is regarded as a model panchayat for its various development activities and is a part of the Kunnathunad tehsil of the Ernakulam district.

Demographics

Kizhakkambalam has a large Christian population and its official language is Malayalam. The area was originally a farming village, but the majority now work in secondary and tertiary industries. Corporations such as Anna, Kitex, Sevana, Blackcat, Wireropes, and KG Packers employ approximately 40% of local workers in corporate-related work. The amusement park Wonderla Kochi is located 3 km away from Kizhakkambalam. Some people believe that Kizhakkambalam's name came from a kahzak that stood in the suburb in ancient times; others believe the name Kizhakkambalam came from the Kizhakkambalam Temple located in the east from Thrikkakara Temple.
According to the 2011 census of India, Kizhakkambalam has 5,551 households. The literacy rate of the village is 85.53%.
TotalMaleFemale
Population231861137511811
Children aged below 6 years225411191135
Scheduled caste216710721095
Scheduled tribe712744
Literates1983099189912
Workers 907564302645
Main workers 757556921883
Main workers: Cultivators43436371
Main workers: Agricultural labourers467323144
Main workers: Household industry workers1199227
Main workers: Other655549141641
Marginal workers 1500738762
Marginal workers: Cultivators18012852
Marginal workers: Agricultural labourers1789385
Marginal workers: Household industry workers281711
Marginal workers: Others1114500614
Non-workers1411149459166

Administration

Kizhakkambalam Panchayath is ruled by an organization called Twenty-20, which is sponsored by the commercial organization Kitex. In the local governing body election held in November 2015, 17 out of 19 wards of the local panchayat were won by Twenty-20. The aim of this organization is to make Kizhakkambalam a role model village by 2020. They spearheaded many infrastructure projects, such as roads and drinking water, inside the village. The organization also led an anti-alcohol campaign.

Criticism of the corporate takeover

Some politicians, like former Parliament Member Sebastian Paul, are worried that the take over of the local body by a corporate group could lead to an uneasy body politic: governing companies can easily manipulate local bodies to serve their interests. Environmental activists, like C.R. Neelakantan, pointed out that the Kitex group started political activism after they were caught red-handed on pollution issues. There are many allegations against the Kitex company among the residents of Kizhakkambalam. The pollution made by the company led to many large-scale protests. Previous panchayath administrations withdrew the license of the company but the Kitex made a political party and participated in elections.

Fine arts institutions