To reach their panchayat or village offices, residents of two wards of Aryankavu grama panchayat in Kollam district have to travel 55 km, most of it through Tamil Nadu (Mekkara, Shencotta, Puliyara) and then enter Kerala through the Aryankavu check-post. Their police station is farther away at Thenmala.
The residents of the temple town of Achencoil say, at times jokingly, that “we live outside Kerala in Kollam district.” For every election they have polling booths in the two wards. But their representative has to travel 110 km to and fro on working days to the panchayat office.
The representative does most of the panchayat or village office-related works for the residents. But on occasions when people have to be physically present at the offices, the task is arduous. If the work at the offices is not over by early evening, they can return only the next day because of transportation problems.
People say that had Achencoil been under Piravanthur grama panchayat, the panchayat office would have been nearer. Both the wards (1 and 2) in Achencoil are represented by the United Democratic Front in the present panchayat. This time, ward one is reserved for women.
