On Friday, chaos erupted within the Thrissur Corporation council as opposition members, spearheaded by Leader of Opposition Rajan J. Pallan, launched a vehement protest. They accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led administration and the state government of orchestrating a clandestine scheme to privatize the corporation’s crucial electricity department.
Pallan publicly lambasted the Mayor and the LDF council, alleging a profound betrayal of Thrissur’s residents. His condemnation stemmed from their inaction over an entire week since an order was issued to drastically restructure the electricity wing’s workforce.
This restructuring directive, issued by the Local Self-Government department on September 12, slashed the electricity wing’s sanctioned posts from 229 to a mere 103. Just days later, on September 16, a multi-hour power outage plunged the city into disarray. This disruption followed an indefinite strike by electricity department employees, who passionately argued that such severe staff reductions were indefensible for a department required to operate around the clock.
Pallan highlighted the Mayor’s apparent ‘double game,’ recalling previous assurances to the media and council that the issue would be resolved within a week. Now, the Mayor was threatening legal action against the very government he serves, a move Pallan depicted as part of a wider conspiracy between the state government and the LDF administration.
He further alleged that the electricity department’s decline began years ago, specifically during the period when current Higher Education Minister R. Bindu served as Mayor. During her tenure, a staggering ₹58 crore, which the Corporation was reportedly not legally obligated to pay, was transferred to the KSEB, ostensibly to alleviate its financial woes.
Subsequent LDF councils, Pallan claimed, exacerbated the department’s debt by prematurely disbursing ₹4 crore for four hydroelectric projects, all without the fundamental step of conducting proper feasibility studies.
He cited the Kannamkuzhy hydel project as another example of alleged mismanagement: a detailed project report (DPR) prepared a decade prior was deemed unviable by the KSEB, yet the Corporation controversially spent ₹35 lakh to acquire it, resulting in further financial detriment to the electricity wing.
Pallan intensified his accusations, claiming that since 2021, both the government and the LDF administration within the Corporation have been secretly plotting to privatize the electricity wing, transforming it into a private entity. He went as far as to suggest that discussions originating from the Chief Minister’s Office and the Local Self-Government department Minister’s office aimed to hand over water and power supply responsibilities to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.
With a stern warning, Pallan declared that such maneuvers would not be tolerated and vowed to organize powerful public protests in response.
The council meeting descended into further pandemonium as Congress councillors, under Pallan’s leadership, surrounded the Mayor’s chair, physically preventing his departure. They chanted slogans and brandished placards, vehemently condemning his perceived ‘double standard.’ Ultimately, the Congress councillors boycotted the remainder of the meeting and staged a walkout.