Muvattupuzha Municipality is facing an escalating dispute over the use of CFC funds, with the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party trading allegations after recent confrontations and police cases involving elected representatives.
Municipal chairperson Joyce Mary Antony said at a news conference that objections raised by the Opposition before the District Planning Committee against projects approved by the municipal council amounted to an attempt to block development works. She warned that the town could lose development funds amounting to ₹9 crore if the projects were delayed or stopped, and held the Opposition responsible for any such loss.
According to the chairperson, the municipality had decided on the use of the CFC funds in accordance with government norms and stated priorities. She rejected allegations that wards represented by Opposition members had been denied funds, describing that claim as baseless.
The dispute follows an incident on October 28, when Opposition members allegedly blockaded the chairperson’s room over the fund allocation. K.M. Salim, UDF chairman, alleged at the same news conference that the Opposition had attempted to mentally harass and assault women representatives. The report did not provide details of any police investigation or legal finding on these allegations.
The UDF leaders said the conflict had emerged against the backdrop of disagreements over how the council’s approved projects should be implemented. The press conference was also attended by UDF convener K.M. Abdul Majeed, District Congress Committee general secretary P.P. Eldose, vice-chairperson P.M. Abdul Salam and other municipal functionaries and party representatives.
The CPM area committee rejected the ruling front’s claims, describing the UDF council’s statements as an attempt to evade public scrutiny after Opposition councillors were allegedly targeted with false complaints. The CPM said its councillors had protested because funds were not being allocated to their wards. It also accused the chairperson of leading what it described as coercive behaviour against the Opposition.
BJP leaders separately alleged discrimination in the distribution of funds sanctioned by the Central government. They also raised allegations concerning financial irregularities linked to the municipality’s Triveni Onam celebrations. The BJP said the chairperson was presenting herself as a victim to divert attention from those issues.
The competing statements place the municipal council’s fund-allocation process at the centre of a broader governance dispute. For residents, the immediate issue is whether projects approved by the council will proceed within the applicable planning and funding framework. The report does not specify the individual projects, ward-wise allocations, objections filed before the District Planning Committee, or the status of the cases linked to the October 28 incident.
