THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rewriting the history of a constituency which had been a Left bastion for half a century, Vamanapuram has now chosen a Congress MLA. Thirty-nine-year-old Sudheersha Palode, the youngest elected legislator from Thiruvananthapuram district, considers this win a huge responsibility.
Determined that he should cater to the needs of the people who last elected a Congress MLA in 1970, he hopes that his experience as a former district panchayat member will help him to some extent in his journey as a legislator. “If the people of a traditional Left fortress have opted for change, it means the CPM has done no significant development which has left its mark. Hence, I have multiple areas as priorities in my stint as an MLA,” Sudheersha told TNIE.
First, he said, the wild animal conflict requires immediate attention of the authorities. “My constituency lies along the hilly regions of the district, where human-animal conflicts have been repeatedly reported. There have been both crop and life losses due to such incidents in the recent past,” he said.
He is hopeful of being able to tackle the issue that casts a shadow over the lives of many in the constituency, through proactive measures for a long-term solution. Sudheersha said his early focus will be on easing the traffic congestion on the diversion roads due to the flyover construction at Venjaramoodu. “While the junctions here were hubs for small businesses, many of them had to shut down because of this construction. A speedy completion of the work will only help restore the livelihoods of these people,” he said.
Pointing out the unique feature of the Vamanapuram constituency, where the seashore and the hill station are just one and a half hours of travel apart, the MLA-elect said the tourism avenues of Ponmudi had not been effectively used by previous governments.
“In almost every budget, some announcements will be made about a study to explore the ropeway possibility here but nothing has moved beyond that. The immense potential of the place should be tapped into, without damaging the ecological sensitivity of the area,” he said.
He further said that the health infrastructure in the area needs an urgent facelift as the constituency does not have even a taluk-level hospital. The long-impending renovation of the Palode KSRTC depot, resolving the drinking water crisis, drug-menace eradication and construction of a building for the fire station which currently runs in a rented space are also part of his development plans.
