Well, the world didn’t end after all. But that was not Thiruvananthapuram’s most pressing concern this year anyway.
For the city, 2012 began with a bout of flash floods - an unexpected downpour caught everyone by surprise and, with the assistance of the city’s blocked culverts, affected at least 500 families.
Mother Nature shook things up once again in April, when mild tremors were felt and Thiruvananthapuram became one of 10 Indian cities where a tsunami watch was issued. Then came the monsoon fury by mid-year - despite a deficit rainfall, it still claimed at least three lives in the district and caused widespread destruction.
But it was not Nature’s fury that held the city hostage this year - it was garbage and everything to do with it. Issues surrounding Vilappilsala and stale food in city eateries loomed large. The ‘shawarma’ seems to have all but disappeared from the city streets. Stray dogs became enough of a menace to find mention even in the Assembly sessions.
When the Corporation felt obliged to declare a war on dengue, cholera raised its head in the coastal regions. The burning of plastic in the city apparently is being held responsible for the rising number of cases in the Respiratory Medicine Department of the Medical College.
But it hasn’t been all bad news - most of the work under the Thiruvananthapuram City Road Improvement Project (TCRIP) has been completed and even the much-stalled leftover works like the Thakaraparambu flyover have finally started. In an added boost to the city’s infrastructure, the Monorail project has also been sanctioned.
However, the highly-awaited Vizhinjam port remains a mixed bag. While the environmental impact assessment has been completed, the government has been forced to float fresh tenders.
Here’s looking at the year that was.