WAY OF THE WILL - INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT KEY TO DEVELOPMENT

WAY OF THE WILL

(Developing backward areas is not the job of the Government alone. The people can take up development programmes in a simple manner. A blueprint by ABRAHAM JACOB
FROM THE HINDU ‘METRO’ OF 31ST JANUARY 2000 FROM TRIVANDRUM)

Thembamood is fascinating place. The area east of M.C Road is a vast expanse of undeveloped or underdeveloped land. The potential is unlimited. But little seems to have been done for its progress.

The people here are mostly illiterate or semi-literate. The difficult terrain inhibits people from seeking education, let alone higher education. The few schools here offer education upto SSLC. Dropouts are legion. After acquiring little education the people migrate. Unfortunately the inadequacy in qualification forces them to go for menial jobs. They toil hard, but the income they generate is meager, just enough for sustenance.

How do we improve the scenario?

Dr. Mahatir Mohammed, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, found that his country was doomed to remain poor. He turned a few sheets of history. He found that the phenomenal growth of Germany and USA was due to the wide roads – the autobahn in Germany is a showpiece even today. Mahatir initiated historic steps. Today, Malaysia is different.

TWELVE LANE ROAD IN DUBAI - SIX EACH IN BOTH DIRECTIONS 







We have to emulate the great. Let us have four lane roads with four-lane traffic. Develop the roads east of M.C Road to Ndumangad to such a specification. This can be done on a build operate, transfer (BOT) basis. Let the people who use the roads pay the toll till the cost is realized. Let the people whose property appreciates in value pay for the roads. The investment can be recovered within a short time.

It is time that we stopped sending out brilliant citizens as labourers. They must go out as brilliant technical personnel and rub shoulders with the best in the world.

Pullampara Panchayat can take the lead. It must set up technical institutions within the Panchayat – Engineering College, Polytechnic, Nursing College, Medical College and a higher – grade college exclusively for courses such as Computer Science, Biotechnology, Agriculture etc.

Resources cause the major headache. Where do we have the money? The best option is to go for an apolitical body similar to the NDDB of Anand in Gujarat – a Co- operative for the comprehensive development of the place. The head load workers, tappers, traders, planters, landlords and NRIs would be the share holders. Each can take shares according to his/her financial capacity.

Huge amounts can be collected from abroad in large dozes. Even if on an average, the remittance is pegged at Rs.30000.00 per day, per year the money that comes in is an astronomical sum of Rs.90,00,000.00 plus. This is a very conservative estimate. If the sources are duly exploited, crores and crores could be collected. The money has not been put to use creatively.

Dreams take a man to the impossible. We must have dreams. We must transform the dreams to reality.
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Addendum on 16th October 2010
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Expansion of infrastructure ensures establishment of large industries in any locality. Educational institutions of higher learning ensure supply of man power required by the industries. Other southern states in India , Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka realised this well. They had set up educational institutions of higher learning across the states liberally right since independence. See where they are now and what they have achieved.

Thembamood is a village on the outskirts of Trivandrum. I had worked there during 1996 – 1999. I really liked the villagers. They were simple souls. I wanted to do something to better the lives of the people. I knew I could do nothing on my own. I had discussed the ideas I have put forth here with a few representatives of the people. They expressed their helplessness as the prevalent top down system gave them no leeway whatsoever to go for dynamic initiatives. As I was leaving Thembamood after my tenure there, I wrote down the ideas expressed and had sent it to ‘The Hindu’. I never believed it would be accepted for publication in the news paper. To my surprise I found that it was published in ‘Metro’ on 31.01.2000. Nothing came of the blue print for development. Though I had forwarded a copy of the article to a few people who mattered it was never even acknowledged.

Development probably has to seep down from the top down structure and Thembamood occupied the least priority in the developmental concerns of the state and the authorities. Thembamood remains where it had always been that is at the bottom of the pyramid.

There has been a whiff of development in the neighbouring Panchayats. An Engineering college, a Dental College and two Medical Colleges have been set up in the private sector. There is the University Institute of Technology set up by Kerala University. These are not enough. People are supreme in a democracy. The much neglected interior of Trivandrum cries for development. All round development of a region relieves pressure on other developed areas of the state.

Kerala is now looking for avenues to develop Vizhinjam port. There has to be a people’s movement. The company to set up the port can sell shares to the common man across the state at rates affordable to the common man. The money is available in Kerala. It can be done. Malayalam Communications had done exactly this once. We can do this repeatedly to find resources to make Kerala a better place.
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