Known for a vibrant culture and progressive attitude, Kozhikode is the proud recipient of UNESCO’s City of Literature tag. Now, try boarding a train from the city during peak hours, and all sense of elation disappears into thin air.
“Travelling by the Parasuram Express is a most agonising experience,” says Jossey Chungath, a regular commuter.
He says the Railways, despite recent incidents of women fainting amid heavy rush, hasn’t made any proposal to introduce new services or add coaches to existing trains.
“The trains are jam-packed and the daily commuters are put to hardship. More than 300 people travel in a coach having a capacity to seat 72 passengers,” points out Malabar Development Council president C E Chakkunny.
Inadequate transportation facilities remains the biggest worry for the residents of Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency. While the narrow city roads cause huge traffic snarl-ups, people hope the completion of highway development will offer some relief. As for the business community, the demand is for better air connectivity and cargo operations from Karipur airport.
“Kozhikode has tremendous potential but we aren’t tapping it. We need better rail, road, water and air connectivity,” says Chakkunny.
“People from the Gulf countries arrive here for ayurveda treatment but insufficient flight services and high airfares are destroying tourism opportunities.”
Koduvally, the gold jewellery hub of Kerala, has a sizeable NRI population. But the decline in the Middle East jobs is forcing youngsters to explore local opportunities. The profile of Kunnamangalam has changed into that of an education hub, thanks to the presence of higher education institutions like IIM, NIT, and the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology.
And the heritage port town of Beypore — famous for Uru-making — aspires to grow as a ship-building hub and international port banking on its traditional trade links with West Asia.
“To realise its potential, Kozhikode needs better infrastructure,” says Malabar Development Forum president K M Basheer. “The new MP should also try to get a railway pitline in Kozhikode, which will facilitate the introduction of new services.”
As the debate on infrastructure rages, the candidates are concentrating on corner meetings and family gatherings to be in pole position to the take the development agenda forward.
While Congress’ three-time MP M K Raghavan harps on his intimacy with voters, CPM’s Elamaram Kareem is counting on the party’s grass-root network. To counter them, BJP’s M T Ramesh is highlighting the development initiatives of the Modi government to convince the voters.
While the constituency has often elected Congressmen to the Lok Sabha, the LDF has dominated elections to the assembly. In 2021, six of the the seven assembly segments within the Kozhikode parliamentary constituency had elected LDF candidates.
Meanwhile, the sizzling summer has led to water scarcity across the constituency. The water level in rivers has declined to alarming levels and the erratic water supply has triggered protests. The frequent bursting of pipelines has added to the woes of the water authority. The residents of areas like Olavanna, Meethal, Mampuzha, Kovoor, Kottuli, Chippilithodu, Chevayoor, Kodiyathur and Ramanattukara say the shortage is acute.
At Kakkayam, the tourism industry is in despair a month after the tragic death of farmer Abraham Palattil in a wild gaur attack. The district administration has banned the entry of tourists to the Kakkayam dam site, adversely affecting the local community dependent on tourism for livelihood. While crossing the road at Kakkayam junction used to be a difficult task, it wears a deserted look now. The hotels and shops in the locality have shut down and the autorickshaw drivers are struggling to find patronage.
“We earned around Rs 1,500 a day when the flow of tourists was steady. Now, we hardly earn around Rs 400. To transport tourists who arrived in buses to the dam site, we used to earn Rs 500 per trip. And the tour guides earned around Rs 20,000 a month. All that is gone. We have been pleading with the collector and the elected representatives to lift the ban,” says autorickshaw driver Sunil, a CPM supporter.
Congress supporter Rajesh says the Wildlife Protection Act needs to be amended.
“There is no value for human life. As a wild gaur killed a farmer, the forest department is not concerned. Had farmers killed a wild gaur, they would have slapped cases on us and sent us to jail,” he says.
“Though we believe in different political ideologies, we stand united for the farmers’ cause,” says Mujeeb, another CPM supporter.
The late Abraham’s wife, Theyyamma, is yet to recover from the shock.
“I suffered a stroke recently and we purchased this house near the town considering the road access. After the death of my husband, the forest department gave my sons, Jobish and Jomon, temporary employment as forest watchers. I become anxious when they go for night patrol but we have no other source of income,” she says. With elephants and gaurs roaming around during the night, risk is an ever-present, Theyyamma adds.