Govt vs Local Self Government: Why has TVM corporation banned a cultural event

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Government has openly challenged the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation’s decision to deny permission for a musical evening organised as part of Manaveeyam Veedhi’s silver jubilee celebrations. Despite Minister for Cultural Affairs P C Vishnunath urging the civic body to reconsider its refusal to let prominent singer Pushpavathy perform, the Corporation has stood its ground. In defiance of the ban, the celebration committee has decided to bypass municipal clearance and stage a cultural evening at Manaveeyam Veedhi starting at 5.00 pm today.

The controversy was sparked when the Corporation denied permission for a gathering organised by the 'Collective for Democracy' against the comprehensive revision of the electoral roll, with the police stepping in to stop the event. The Corporation maintained that permission was barred only for protest rallies until the 31st of last month. However, the current wave of outrage stems from the civic body’s decision to block a purely musical performance that has no protest element whatsoever.

Government to scrutinise Corporation’s authority
The Corporation contends that operational control of Manaveeyam Veedhi was handed over to it under the previous state government, following a ₹3.5-crore makeover funded through the Smart City Mission—a project split between the Centre (40%), the State (40%), and the Corporation (20%).

The government is now preparing to review the validity of this claim. Crucially, the road belongs to the Public Works Department (PWD), while its official designation as a cultural corridor was made by the Department of Cultural Affairs. The government is moving to inspect documents to verify how management rights were transferred to the Corporation under the previous council without any representation from either of these two departments.

Performances once staged under police watch
Manaveeyam Veedhi was declared the capital city’s cultural corridor in 2001. Until the road was widened by acquiring land from the Kerala Water Authority, artists performed in a relatively confined space. To ensure safety and prevent accidents, traffic would be temporarily suspended between the Vayalar and Devarajan statues under police supervision whenever performances were held.