It was after 30 years since the municipality was formed in 1980 that the Congress-led United Democratic Front won in Tripunithura for the first time in the last local body elections.
But, factionalism was the hallmark of the UDF’s five years in power, leaving municipal chairman R. Venugopal to take on developmental issues almost single-handedly.
It had its effect on governance too, as many project ideas remained largely on paper. The Council failed to meet the requirement of land acquisition for the long-distance bus terminal project that would have made the Tripunithura railway station area a transport hub. The proposed bus terminal and the metro rail are important in decongesting the town’s roads. Waste management and congested roads are the town’s most obvious problems for anyone travelling through it. Lack of parking facilities, water shortage, water-logging and encroachments are the other civic issues.
However, Mr. Venugopal is confident about his party improving its position. He said the developmental work undertaken by the Congress — creating open spaces in at least two areas in the town, completing work of a community hall and a working women’s hostel, and increasing the town’s revenue — would ensure its comeback in the upcoming polls.
CPI(M) campaign
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front has come up with the idea of getting feedback from the public on their ideas on development.
Armed with around 1,300 feedback reports from the people, they engaged in a dialogue with the office bearers of the Tripunithura Rajanagari Union Residents’ Association (TRURA), the apex council of all residents’ associations in the town.
C.N. Sundaran, who is leading the CPI(M) in the town, said their manifesto was by the people and for the people. He said Suchitwam would be the lead programme on waste management, which would offer tax reliefs to people. Improving roads and protecting water resources would also top their agenda.
A suggestion from TRURA was that a guarantee of three years be provided for roads by the contractor concerned at the time of tendering.
