The UDF is likely to redraw the boundaries of the proposed Muvattupuzha district by excluding Thodupuzha taluk.

This follows the stand taken by water resources minister P.J. Joseph against including Thodupuzha — his assembly constituency — in the new district. The UDF coordination committee meeting on Feb. 8 is likely to set up a commission to study the proposal.

The Babu Paul commission, which examined the issue in 2000, recommended the formation of Muvattupuzha district by including the non-hilly regions of Iddukki districts and the eastern parts of Ernakulam. Joseph says if Iddukki is bifurcated it will strengthen the demand of a group of Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu for merging the Tamil-speaking areas of Iddukki with that state.

The government is also examining two other proposals. The first one is to form the district by including Devikulam taluk of Iddukki, and Muvattupuzha and Kothamagalam areas of Ernakulam district.
Another proposal was to include only the eastern parts of Ernakuam in the proposed district.

Muvattupuzha MLA Joseph Vazhakkan, in the forefront of the demand for the new district, said there was a need to separate the eastern parts of Ernakulam district from the metropolitan areas of the district. This would ensure proper development of the eastern parts of the district, he said.

The call for new district, he said, was no way related to the demand for merging parts of Iddukki with Tamil Nadu. No part of Iddukki is a Tamil-majority region. But, “there is a strong presence of Tamilians among the plantation workers.”

There will be no problems if Devikulam taluk with sizeable Tamil population merged with the proposed Muvattupuzha district, Vazhakkan said.