Kumbalanghi, a village nestled close to the Kochi backwaters, is in trouble mostly because of the slowdown in the tourism industry.
The village is noted for its Chinese nets and traditional coir manufacturing units. But the pandemic and subsequent lockdown and drop in tourist footfall have left the villagers a pessimistic lot, said Jaison T. Jose, a CPI(M) leader.
But Kumbalanghi will make a comeback, said Martin Anthony, the outgoing panchayat president and Congress leader. He added that the last five years of UDF rule in the panchayat had instilled optimism among people about a post-COVID life. According to him, the front had been successful in waste management.
K.D. Shivadattan, a tourism industry representative and social worker, said that Kumbalanghi had suffered immensely because of the pandemic and the consequent restrictions. He added that the slowdown in the industry had resulted in widespread financial insecurity. Homestays, which served the tourism industry in a big way, had been badly hit by the pandemic.
Mr. Jose said that there was a perception that the UDF rule, over the last 20 years, had not helped the village much. He alleged that the front had failed in waste management, and that unauthorised constructions had been mushrooming across the village along the backwaters in violation of rules. He also said that the Kudumbashree units in the panchayat were not able to create jobs unlike in other places.
