KOCHI: Repair the pothole-ridden bylane, cover and barricade canals, find a solution to the stray dog menace, curtail the mushrooming of unauthorised hostels... Thus goes the seemingly endless list on a banner put up at the entrance to the Chandrathil Road in Edappally by the local residents’ association, Swaraksha, representing more than 140 families. The residents’ association decided on this novel approach after being fed up with the unfulfilled promises of their elected councillor.
M N Vasanthakumar, president of the Swaraksha Chandrathil Road Residents’ Welfare Association, told TNIE that these demands were presented before the local election candidates who attended a meet-the-candidate programme organised by the association.
“NDA and LDF candidates, Shantha Vijayan and Rajesh, accepted our invitation and came for the meet. The UDF candidate didn’t come. At the meet, we discussed the various issues that have been plaguing our lane and the division (number 32 in Kochi corporation after delimitation). We told them that we will vote for the candidate who fulfils our demand. The candidates were proactive and they even signed a promissory note,” Vasanthakumar said.
Interestingly, current NDA candidate Shantha had been the UDF councillor in the area. As to why Shantha jumped party, Vasanthakumar said, “We asked her that question. She said the UDF placed shackles on her. She couldn’t perform her duties, like spending plan fund for developmental activities, because the former UDF councillor of the division and also the Congress leaders placed hurdles in every path.
Then, there was the issue of not getting central funds. She said LDF and UDF siphoned off the funds. We don’t know how true all these claims are.”
However, with both LDF and NDA candidates signing the promissory note, the contest seems to have levelled up. The residents’ association president said anti-social elements loiter around unlicensed hostels to supply drugs to the inmates in the area.
In their banner, the residents’ association also pointed out that the Vadathodu and other canals nearby have been lying uncovered with no barricading. Other demands include installation of streetlights and CCTV and cleaning of canals.