Administrative History
The Varkala NES Block was established in 1954. Its operational jurisdiction encompassed seven panchayats: Varkala, Vettoor, Edava, Chemmaruthi, Ilakamon, Manamboor, and Cherunniyoor. In 1962, Manamboor Panchayat was bifurcated into two separate panchayats: Ottoor and Manamboor. Subsequently, in 1980, Varkala Panchayat was upgraded to Varkala Municipality.
The Block office is situated on a two-acre plot of land in Cherunniyoor Panchayat, donated free of cost by the Varkala Aakaram family. The foundation stone for the Block office building was laid in October 1956, and construction was completed shortly thereafter. On August 15, 1997, Varkala MLA Shri A. Ali Hassan laid the foundation stone for a new office building; this completed structure was inaugurated on January 5, 2000, by the then Legislative Assembly Speaker, Shri M. Vijayakumar. The Block Panchayat office currently operates from this building.
The Thiruvananthapuram Revenue Divisional Officer served as the first Chairman of the Block's Advisory Committee. Shri Varkala Radhakrishnan served as the non-official Vice Chairman of the Block Development Committee. Distinguished individuals such as Gopalakrishnan Nair, Sri. T.M. Muhammed Rafi, Sri. T.A. Majeed, Adv. V. Jayaprakash, and Sri. Sudhakaran have served in this capacity.
The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act came into effect in 1994, and the first three-tier Panchayat elections were held in 1995. Subsequently, on October 2, 1995, the first Block Panchayat governing council took the oath of office and assumed charge; the nine individuals listed below, elected from their respective divisions, constituted the members of this inaugural governing council.
