As the KSRTC bus winds through the Nadukani ghat, the impact of the punishing summer on the lush green forests of Wayanad is unmistakable. The grasslands have dried up and the streams are shrinking.
The southwest monsoon has been deficient in Wayanad for the past few years and farmers complain it has affected the paddy farming cycle. And the intense heat is driving wildlife to human habitats in search of food and water. “People are migrating to towns abandoning their farmlands fearing wild animals,” says Gopi, a farmer in Sultan Bathery.
“Elephants, bisons, monkeys, deer, wild pigs and squirrels are destroying our crops. And we are scared to venture out after nightfall as tigers are roaming around.” While dairy farming is the main source of income for small-scale farmers, Gopi points out that people are even selling their cattle because of the fear of a tiger attack. The farmers allege there is an overpopulation of tigers in the Wayanad sanctuary and the big cats are straying into villages.
Politicians on the campaign trail are also facing a volley of questions regarding infrastructure development and minimum support price for agriculture products. “The biggest challenge for Wayanad residents is the lack of medical facilities,” says Dr Biju Ninan, of Mananthavady.
“There is no facility for cardiac care and other emergency medicine at the Mananthavady medical college hospital.”
When critical patients are referred to the Kozhikode medical college hospital, the other big hurdle comes in the way – transportation. “We are facing traffic snarl-ups on the Thamarssery ghat road round the clock. Around 15 patients have died in ambulances while being transported to Kozhikode over the past two years,” says Dr Biju.
Kunhabdulla Thirumangalam, a former member of the hospital management committee, says the Mananthavady taluk hospital was upraded as a district hospital after the formation of Wayanad district in 1980. “The facilities remained the same. Recently, the hospital was upgraded to a medical college but we don’t have super speciality facilities. We don’t have a neurologist or cardiologist here. This is a big disadvantage to the marginalised sections,” he says.
Dr Biju points out that the Centre, considering the high prevalence of sickle cell anemia among the tribal community, had sanctioned a research centre with blood testing facilities. Though the foundation stone was laid by former health minister K K Shailaja, the project is yet to take off.
“Five-hundred acres are available at the Beenachi Estate owned by the Madhya Pradesh government at Sultan Bathery. The state government should convince the Centre to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences there,” he says.
Politicians continue to ignore the tribal community’s struggle for land rights. Though the Centre has given the nod for land allocation, the state is yet to act. At the Pulimoodu estate near Mananthavady, tribal families live in thatched huts covered by plastic sheets with no water or electricity connections.
Their protest – around 40 families having occupied the estate three years ago seeking allocation of land – has failed to evoke any response. The plight of around 100 families who occupied the Mariyanad Estate near Sultan Bathery is no different. “We fetch water from the nearby stream, carry it on head and climb the hill. A majority of the families have shifted as there is no water or power connection. We survive on the free rice given by the government,” says Jaya, a member of the Kattu Naicker community. The residents of Nilambur have been demanding the implementation of the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line which will reduce the Kochi-Bengaluru travel time to eight hours.
“The project will open a third railway line from Kerala to other states,” points out Dr Joshua Koshy, general secretary of the Nilambur-Mysuru Railway Action Council. “The Salem-Coimbatore line is saturated and this is the only project that can bring development to Malabar.”
Though the Centre had sanctioned the project in 2013, the first Pinarayi government gave preference to the Thalassery-Mysuru project, Dr Joshua says.
Nilambur Hotel and Restaurant Association president Anas Union suggests reviving the Nilambur bypass project which has been in limbo for the past two decades. “We want intervention to develop the Nilambur-Munderi-Chooralmala-Meppadi road to ensure better connectivity between Malappuram and Wayanad,” he says.
Campaigning is set to pick up pace with the culmination of Ramadan, as the three fronts intensify their efforts.
“Rahul Gandhi has changed the profile of Wayanad and he lives in the people’s hearts,” says DCC vice-president O V Appachan.
The arrival of Annie Raja, a national leader of the CPI, has infused new vigour to the LDF.
“Though Wayanad is a UDF constituency, people here are unhappy with the performance of our MP,” says a CPM leader.
And the NDA workers have accepted the candidature of K Surendran with great cheer.
“We have planned around 100 public meetings in which Central and state leaders will participate,” says BJP leader Sandeep Warrier.
With polling a fortnight away, door-to-door campaigning is the norm now. Well, Wayanad voters have lots of questions in store.