Localbody History
Formation of Tholicode Grama Panchayat
When Panchayats were first formed in our state, the areas now included in the Tholicode Grama Panchayat were part of the Uzhamalakkal Panchayat. Subsequently, these areas were included to form the Vithura Grama Panchayat. In its initial stages, the Vithura Panchayat office operated from a rented building in a place called Pulimoodu within our current Panchayat area.
The Tholicode Grama Panchayat was formed in 1973. Long before that, the idea of a Panchayat (which is today's Tholicode Library) was brought to the public's attention by the Shariyathul Islam Library, established in 1952.
Local elders say that the name Tholicode originated from the fact that the area would be so full of tholi (mud/silt) during the rainy season that it would resemble a thodu (stream) and make movement impossible for people. The place where the mud accumulated was called Tholithodu, which gradually transformed over time to become Tholicode.
When the then Minister for Panchayat Department, Shri. Avukkadarkutty Naha, arrived at the Tholicode Junction for the annual inauguration of the Fishermen's Union, he was presented with a petition signed by hundreds of people demanding the formation of the Tholicode Panchayat. Following this, the Government took favorable action as a result of strong pressure from social, cultural, and political circles. Subsequently, when the Government sought the opinion of the then Vithura Panchayat governing body regarding the division of the areas that would form the new Tholicode Panchayat, the majority of the members opposed it. Despite the opposition, the Government Order forming the Tholicode Panchayat, effective from 01.03.1973, was issued. In protest against the order being issued against the Panchayat Committee's decision, the then Vithura Panchayat President, Shri. K. Sambasivan, resigned.
The newly formed Tholicode Panchayat Ad-hoc Committee, which came into effect on 17-03-1973, included members such as Shri. S. K. Ashari (Pulichamala), Shri. Pushkarapanicker (Panacode), Shri. M. Abdul Ghani, Anapetti Shri. K. Velayudhan Nair (Malayadi), Shri. Lakshmanan Kani (Reservation Member), and Government nominees Shri. T. M. Sali, Shri. Eesukunju, and Smt. Nalini Kunhikrishnan. Shri. T. M. Sali was the first Panchayat President.
On this occasion, we must gratefully remember the many great individuals who led the formation and subsequent activities of the Tholicode Grama Panchayat. The names of Shri. T. M. Sali, P. M. Ismail, N. M. Sali, A. Abdul Rasheed, Forester Aliyarukunju, S. Zainuddeen, N. Abdul Basheer, Teacher Aliyarukunju, Cheruvakonam Baker, and M. Muhammed Abdul Khader deserve special mention. Shri. A. M. Baker, a retired Superintendent of the Education Department, is the individual who provided the building for the Panchayat to function free of cost and worked for the Panchayat's growth.