IDUKKI: On October 30, a day before his retirement, when Vijayalal K S packed his bags to leave Peermade after more than a year’s service as tahsildar, hundreds of residents, young and old, gathered at his office to bid him a warm farewell.
On July 12, 2021, when Vijayalal was posted at the taluk office in Peermade, the townsfolk had no idea about the kind of impact he would leave on the people and the community there. From carpets made by special schoolchildren in Kumily to gold ring and Aranmula mirror, Vijayalal’s office room was filled with various kinds of gifts that the residents gave him as a token of love for his selfless service.
“Vijayalal did a splendid job here. Even on the day he was supposed to leave, he handed over as many as 11 land tribunal title deeds to residents who were settled for nearly a century in Peermade. He is a very popular figure in our region,” Sunil Joseph, a resident told TNIE.
Praising the retired officer, a resident said Vijayalal was always at the beck and call of the local community mostly comprising plantation workers.
During his short span of service in Peermade, the officer was at the forefront when Kokkayar, a panchayat in Peermade, witnessed nature’s fury in the form of landslide and flood that claimed nine lives on October 17, 2021. Within 17 days since the occurrence of the disaster, the revenue team led by Vijayalal was able to hand over Rs 45 lakh relief aid to the kin of nine victims besides taking steps to ensure the rehabilitation of all flood and landslide-hit families in Kokkayar in a fast pace.
Speaking to TNIE, Vijayalal said he was able to completeRs 9.16 crore relief aid distribution in Peermade taluk before he retired on October 31.Lal, who is a clinical psychologist turned revenue officer, also took efforts to write off the loan dues of residents, who were on the brink of confiscation by various banks, by convening special adalats named ‘Karuthal’ with the support of all leading banks in Idukki. By the end of the fiscal in March 2022, he was able to write off Rs 1.45 crore loan dues of poor residents through the adalats.
Not only that, he worked for extended hours to meet residents who came to see him from various places and ensured the service of taluk office personnel all days. “People would come here from far-off places, spending their time and hard-earned money on transportation. I felt sad about the residents’ struggle. Hence I opened an official Facebook page to help the residents communicate their issues without travelling to my office,” said Vijayalal, who ensured prompt and speedy action on all the issues raised by the residents through the FB page.
Peermade being a taluk having several closed and running tea plantations, where thousands of workers struggle to make ends meet, the state government had allotted Rs 10 crore for the maintenance of estate line houses of workers. It was the result of the joint effort of the team led by Vijayalal and revenue, plantation and labour department officials.
A native of Aryad in Alappuzha, Vijayalal is touched by the love people showered on him.“I will surely return to Peermade if I get a chance. I am grateful for the love the residents gave me, and for considering me as a member in their own families,” he said.
Apart from taking motivational and counselling classes, Vijayalal is also a writer. He has published a book on the life of Sree Narayana Guru. A novel named ‘Manpavayum Mantharappookkalum’ is getting ready for publication.