History of Grama Panchayat
History and Profile of Meppadi Grama Panchayat
Meppadi Grama Panchayat can be regarded as one of the oldest Grama Panchayats in Kerala. It was established by the British Government on April 27, 1935. Blessed with majestic mountain ranges and rivers flowing down from them, Meppadi Panchayat originally had an area of 204.7 square kilometres. Following the formation of Ambalavayal Panchayat in 1961, the formation of Muppainad Panchayat in 2000, and the expansion of Kalpetta Municipality, its area was reduced to 125.94 square kilometres.
The first President of Meppadi Panchayat was T. E. Heave, a European. The Panchayat had a 16-member administrative committee nominated by the British Government. Initially, there were three wards: Thrikkepetta Desam, Kottappadi Desam, and Muppainad Desam.
The Panchayat later came under the Madras Local Board. The Meppadi Cosmopolitan Club was used for meetings of the Panchayat Board at a monthly rent of Rs. 2. For some time, the Chullick Estate Club was also used as the Panchayat office. In 1969, during the tenure of K. Babu Sahib as President, the office was shifted to its own building. The present office building was constructed after demolishing that old building.
Presidents of Meppadi Grama Panchayat
- Shri T. E. Heave (European)
- Shri H. S. Lake (European)
- Dr. T. K. Govindan Nair
- Rev. Fr. A. Machado
- Shri S. N. Bhattacharya
- Shri Kadumberi Nanu
- Shri K. Babu Sahib
- Shri V. N. Sivaraman Nair
- Shri K. A. Mohammed Kunhi
- Shri P. A. Mohammed
- Shri P. P. A. Karim
- Shri P. Vasu
- Smt. Padmini Gopinath
- Shri P. M. Prasannasenan
- Shri N. Venugopal
- Smt. Radha Ramaswamy
- Shri P. M. Raman
- Smt. Ancy Baby
- Smt. Ramla Kunjappa
- Shri K. K. Sahad
- Smt. Omana Ramesh
- Shri Babu K.
- Smt. Ramla Hamsa
Early History of Meppadi
Before the present-day Meppadi area developed into a town, it was part of the Chembra Peak Estate. In the early days, long rows of workers' quarters were constructed to accommodate estate labourers. These were known as Melappadis. According to local tradition, the name Melappadi gradually became shortened to Meppadi over time.
At one time, foreign prospectors conducted mining operations in search of deposits of gold ore in Elambilery Hill, which rises to about 6,806 feet above sea level, and Vellarimala, which is about 7,364 feet high.
In earlier times, the Nairs of Kottappadi Fort were the jenmis (landlords) who controlled the entire region. The area later came under the control of Jains, who were locally known as the Goudans.
Similarly, the Edavalath Kovilakam landlords controlled areas such as Kadoor, Elambilery, Cholamala, and Chooralmala. The entire Vederi, or Vaduvanchal, region was under the control of the Nilambur Kovilakam. The Panchayat minutes contain a record of an incident in which a person named Krishnan from Vederi blocked the pathway leading to a well belonging to the Nilambur Kovilakam, and the Panchayat intervened and cleared the obstruction.
Plantation Economy and Labour History
Large-scale plantations of tea, cardamom, coffee, and pepper have been a distinctive feature of Meppadi Panchayat since the early days. These large plantations were established during the 1800s. Labourers were brought in large numbers from the neighbouring princely state of Mysore (Karnataka) and from Madras (Tamil Nadu). Under the supervision of kanganis, they were made to work day and night under extremely harsh conditions to develop the plantations.
The British planters' kanganis wielded enormous authority during that period. Many workers lost their lives due to the brutal treatment and physical abuse inflicted by these men, who were notorious for their cruelty.
It is important to remember that large numbers of workers arrived in the Meppadi region from different places at a time when infectious diseases such as cholera and malaria were widespread. The lives of workers who worked day and night for a wage of only six annas a week were extremely difficult.
While such conditions prevailed in the plantations, several cultural centres emerged in the rural area of Thrikkepetta as part of social and cultural reform movements. The Gramoddharana Vedi deserves special mention. The Thrikkepetta–Muttil
