The agitation venue wears a deserted look. While a handful of persons are sitting outside the Mini Civil Station in Kanhangad demanding a revision of the list of endosulfan victims, the public doesn’t seem too interested in the agitation that began more than two months ago.
“We started the protest to include 1,031 endosulfan-affected people on the victims’ list so they could get assistance from the government,” says P Shyni, convener of the Endosulfan Samara Samithi.
She points out that 1,905 persons were selected in April 2017 from around 4,000 people who attended medical camps organised by the state government across Kasaragod for the endosulfan-affected.
“When the final list was declared, only 287 people were selected. After a series of protests, a total of 874 people were included in the list, and the rest — 1,031 persons — were excluded without any reason. The order which said children born after 2011 would not be included in the list should be reversed. These children need medical and financial assistance. We are planning to start an indefinite hunger strike in May,” Shyni says.
The plight of the endosulfan victims speaks volumes about the neglect and stepmotherly attitude of the authorities to the woes of those living at the northern tip of Kerala. Elections come and go but the situation never changes for them.
“We have a medical college that people seldom visit,” says R Radhakrishnan, a taxi driver.
“It is situated at Ukkinadka, some 30km away from the city. The hospital doesn’t have enough staff or infrastructure and people continue to depend on hospitals in Mangaluru for better treatment.”
The foundation stone for the medical college was laid by former chief minister Ommen Chandy in 2013 but it is no more than a primary health centre. Though the government assures it is working sincerely to turn it into a proper medical college, nothing appears to be moving in that direction.
“The outpatient wing is functioning on the ground floor of the academic block and the nursing college on the first. The hospital building construction is not yet complete,” says Praveen R, an assistant professor in general medicine.
“The staff is insufficient to support a full-fledged operation of the different departments. We also need a hospital block for the smooth functioning of the medical college.”
The Tata Hospital at Chattanchal — built as a Covid hospital by the Tata Group spending Rs 60 crore to keep patients under quarantine — is another monument of neglect.
With many of the pre-fabricated containers there having developed leakage during rain, the government has decided to dismantle most of the structures.
While suggestions to convert it into a palliative centre were not considered, the government is now planning to construct a critical care centre at the site.
“An amount of Rs 23.5 crore has been passed by the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission,” District Medical Officer A V Ramdas says.
A detailed project report is being prepared for the critical care centre which will span 45,000 square feet, says National Health Mission, Kasaragod, engineer Nithin Kumar.
“An understanding has been reached with the district panchayat regarding the shifting of containers. Besides, NHM has submitted a Rs 10-crore proposal to build an outpatient unit linked to the critical care unit,” he says.
Development issues dominate all the discussions during the campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in the Kasaragod constituency where UDF’s sitting MP Rajmohan Unnithan is contesting for a second time. The LDF has deputed CPM district secretary M V Balakrishnan to recapture the constituency that includes communist strongholds like Kayyur and Karivallur. The NDA is fighting this time with a new face in Ashwini M L, a Mahila Morcha leader.
One silver lining in the otherwise grim picture is the tourism development at Bekal.
“Bekal is gearing up for a transformation into a hub for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Events) tourism to draw entrepreneurs. Additionally, we are converting the area into a destination wedding centre,” says Shijin P, the managing director of Bekal Resorts Development Corporation.
The Taj Seleqtions Group is set to unveil a 5-star hotel with 149 rooms to accommodate a larger number of tourists, he points out. “The soft launch is scheduled to take place after the election. We also have plans to introduce caravan tourism in Bekal to attract van-life tourists,” he adds.
The people of Kasaragod have another reason to cheer.
“More and more films are featuring the Kasaragod dialect, which is being widely appreciated by the audience. It started with the movie ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’,” says C Shukkur, who donned the role of an advocate in the movie.
“After that, the directors of three movies have asked me to speak in the Kasaragod dialect. It is really heartening to see the dialect getting recognised.”
He says there is a small group of people in the Uppala and Manjeshwar areas who speak Urdu. And they have a complaint.
“There is no effort to protect their linguistic identity. They demand the setting up of an Urdu chair in universities or giving representation to Urdu in the Sahitya Akademi,” Shukkur says.